Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (also Fairhead) is a character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Cathy Shipton. Duffy was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin as one of the serial's ten original characters. Shipton received her audition just as she was thinking of giving up her acting career. She thought her chances of being cast were slim, as she had on bandages following a fall; however, the producer, Geraint Morris, was fascinated by the incident and asked her about her time in the hospital. Shipton was considered for the role of receptionist Susie Mercier, before being cast as Duffy. She made her debut in the pilot episode of the first series, broadcast on 6 September 1986.
Duffy is characterised as a "tough" and "carefree" nurse. She has a distinct style with her hair pinned up and wears neatly ironed uniforms. Shipton has stated that Duffy became more confident as the years progressed. The character has been used to portray various issue-led stories. First, she became the victim of sexual assault, which caused her to lose her "happy go lucky" persona. Shipton later recalled that it was her most harrowing story. Next, she had an HIV scare following the breakdown of her relationship with Peter Tranter (Eric Deacon).
In her later years on the show, Duffy battled depression and anxiety, and in 2018, producers created a story arc in which she is diagnosed with vascular dementia. Her stories have also been focused on her many relationship woes via her three marriages. The first with Registrar Andrew Bower (William Gaminara; Philip Bretherton), and the second with Ryan Johnson (Russell Boulter), a hospital security guard. Writers created her third marriage with Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), following a "will they?, won't they?" relationship that spanned thirty years.
Shipton has left and rejoined the cast of Casualty numerous times. The actress first chose to leave the serial in 1993 and Duffy left Holby to start a family with Andrew. She returned in 1998 and remained until 2003 when she departed with Ryan. She also returned in 2006 for two special episodes set in Cambodia. Shipton reprised the role in 2015 for the show's thirtieth anniversary and was soon tempted back on a permanent basis. The actress announced her departure from the series in October 2019, and Duffy made her final appearance on 1 February 2020. The character has been well received by television critics, with a reporter from The Daily Telegraph listing Duffy as one of the top ten best ever Casualty characters. Shipton received a nomination for Best Drama Star at the 2017 Inside Soap Awards.
Casting Duffy is one of ten original characters conceived by the creators of Casualty Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin. Cathy Shipton was working as an aerobics instructor and thinking of giving up her acting career when she received an audition for the show. The audition for the role was held on 11 January 1986. Not wanting to appear in her instructor's outfit, she borrowed some clothes and ran across London to get to the audition on time. Shipton had been teaching an aerobics class the day prior to the audition and fell over. She went to an accident and emergency department where they treated her for a sprained ankle and placed bandages on her. The actress was convinced that this would ruin her chances with casting directors. But Casualty producer Geraint Morris was fascinated by the incident and quizzed Shipton about her time at the hospital. She explained that an angry nurse had treated her and acted out part of the procedure. This intrigued Morris and his team of writers who decided to hire her.Kingsley 1995, p.74.
She was surprised when she received the part of Duffy and it only sank in when she was being fitted for her costume. Shipton admitted that she was nervous during her first day on set and did not think her Bristol accent sounded right, likening it to "a demented Pam Ayres". She was later asked to tone down her accent, so it was easier for viewers to understand what she was saying. Shipton was originally considered for the role of Susie Mercier (later played by Debbie Roza), a character who filled the role of the emergency department's receptionist.
Development Characterisation
When Duffy was introduced into Casualty she was played as a "carefree" character with a "tough" and "determined" side. Writers gave her hobbies including dieting, astrology and gossiping. Duffy has a distinct appearance and style - her hair is tightly pinned up and she wears a neatly crisp ironed uniform. Shipton often carries her with a serious facial expression that "inspires confidence". The actress has stated that Duffy is a "real" middle-aged and "hard-working" mother who female viewers could relate to. Duffy does not always make the right life choices and viewers responded well to this. Shipton wanted Duffy to appear as authentic as possible. She always did her own suturing in scenes and this also made her feel like a nurse, which added to the realism on-screen.Kingsley 1995, p.76.
In the first series the character was shown not taking her job seriously. She would gossip with Susie about her colleagues personal lives. She filled her time practicing for her driving test and trying out diets. She also protested against a local cinema showing adult films about nurses and succeeded at having them removed. But Duffy's behaviour was soon changed. Shipton felt that various incidents have transformed the character. She described Duffy in her early episodes as "a kidney bowl carrier, a blue flash, little more." Following being sexually assaulted Duffy dropped her "cheeky girl" mentality and gained an "emotional life". Pregnancy made the character more determined and career driven. Shipton explained that Duffy "became a sister, there was another gear change. I think lots of women who juggle a job and bringing up a child identified with her. I had the chance to show that Nurses are professionals, not dogsbodies or angels or girls desperate to find a doctor to marry them."Kingsley 1995, p.75.
By 2006, Shipton viewed Duffy differently because of her life choices. She told Kris Green from Digital Spy that Duffy had moved on and made different choices. She appears a "lot lighter of spirit" which Shipton enjoyed playing. She added that "there's something quite vital and buzzy about her that you don't often see or haven't seen much of in the past." Shipton believed that in the seventeenth series of Casualty her character had been given a "new-found confidence and lease of life." She also develops a better sense of humour and "quality of survival". The actress explained that Duffy has the ability to "pick herself up" and move on, adding "she seems to live on the motto 'Hope springs eternal'". The nurse is also portrayed as "defensive in order to conceal her vulnerability" and can make rash decisions.
Sexual assault One of Duffy's earliest storylines saw her attacked and raped. The storyline began playing out on-screen when Duffy, who lived alone in a flat, ventures out on her way to work on a dark night. When she travels down a back street she is set upon and raped. Duffy decides not to report the incident to the police and later regrets her decision. She struggles to deal with the attack and confides in Susie, Megan Roach (Brenda Fricker) and Ewart Plimmer (Bernard Gallagher) who all help her to recover. Duffy then finds another way to deal with the emotional trauma by helping patients who are admitted following sexual assaults.Kingsley 1995, p.72. Duffy is later faced with her attacker when he is admitted to the ward, but he dies shortly after. The effects of the assault changed the normally "chirpy, cheery" Duffy, and the viewers shared her pain as the story progressed over four years. Duffy eventually loses her "happy go lucky" persona because of the assault.
After she finished shooting the scenes, Shipton took a two-week break to be with friends and she found herself wanting to stay inside and read. She admitted that getting into Duffy's mindset during the storyline was "quite difficult to deal with." The story highlighted a problem in society of people not having anyone to confide in following such attacks. Shipton told a BBC reporter Alan Ayres that she had received numerous letters from viewers who had been in similar situations to Duffy. The actress was concerned and wrote back to some victims who had no one to speak to. She offered them information on the Rape Crisis Centre so they could receive help. In 2003, Shipton named Duffy's rape as her most harrowing storyline.
HIV scare Duffy became the subject of an HIV scare when writers decided to explore the issue. They introduced the character's first love interest, a salesman named Peter Tranter (Eric Deacon). Their relationship progresses quickly and he asks her to move to the United States with him. Peter then discovers that has contracted HIV and may have passed it on to Duffy. She gets tested and the results later come back negative. Peter moves away, becomes a recluse and Duffy later learns that he has died following complications with AIDS. Writers included a positive outcome for Duffy which began following a promotion to Staff Nurse which prompted her to research the virus. She then offers support to HIV positive patients because she understands their plight.
Relationship with Andrew Bower In 1989, producers paired the character with Registrar Andrew Bower (William Gaminara; Philip Bretherton). Andrew was more concerned with his career than their relationship. In the book Casualty: The Inside Story, Hilary Kingsley noted that their relationship was one of convenience for Andrew. When Duffy discovers that she is pregnant, Andrew expects her to sacrifice her career to bring the child up. He refuses to do the same and they have a bitter separation, with him moving away. Duffy gives birth to a son named Peter and brings him up alone. She has to rely on babysitters who often let her down and she is forced to take Peter to work with her. Duffy's selfish mother Kate Duffin (Doreen Mantle) disapproves of her choice to remain at work. She initially refuses to care for Peter, but later changes her stance and helps out. Duffy meets businessmen Paul Slater (William Armstrong) and they begin dating. He helps out with childcare and Duffy moves in with him. But he develops a vendetta against the hospital and orders Duffy to quit her job. She responds by ending their relationship and moves out.Kingsley 1995, p.73.
In 1992, following Duffy's cancer scare Andrew is reintroduced into the show. Duffy fears that Peter will need Andrew should she die and contacts him. She is shocked to learn that Andrew was already returning to Holby City hospital, taking a job as a locum Consultant. Writers made changes to Andrew's personality and he behaved more mature. Kingsley commented that the character was now "worthy" of Duffy's love. He was happy to see his son for the first time and remained in their lives. At the end of series seven Duffy and Andrew decide to give their relationship another try.Kingsley 1995, p.106. They later planned to marry and opted for a "quiet wedding". But the night before the ceremony a riot breaks out at the hospital and the department is set on fire.
When the character returned to the show in 1998, she was still married to Andrew. Their marriage had become difficult and Duffy suspected that he was having an affair. She confides in Charlie that she thinks Andrew has become bored of their relationship and wants to move on. Andrew later gets a job at the hospital and he and Duffy work alongside each other. When Duffy finds out she is pregnant again, Andrew "reacts badly to the news". Duffy collapses after they argue, but Andrew eventually accepts that he is going to be a father again. However, in 2001 Andrew was killed off when he is pushed down some stairs by Tom Harvey (Kieron Forsyth). Charlie has to inform a heavily pregnant Duffy that her husband is dead.