But Jason Durr, Casualty’s latest recruit, has been round that block before.
Jason, 48, is a familiar face from his days playing PC Mike Bradley in Heartbeat.
Now, though, he’s relishing the fresh challenge of taking on complex new arrival, nurse David Hide.
“There’s a lot going on underneath the calm exterior,” Jason tells iN10.
“He’s socially awkward and shy but there is definitely more to him than meets the eye.
“I can’t give too many spoilers but I would say to expect the unexpected. I met the writer and producer last year and we talked about the character, really developing it thoroughly.
“So a great deal of thought has gone into my part.”
Jason’s joining at a milestone moment for the BBC’s popular medical drama.
It’s now in its 30th year and still pulls in millions every Saturday night.
Another of the BBC’s long-running hits, Silent Witness, is beginning filming of its 20th series and star Emilia Fox has spoken of the excitement around the show.
So, is it the same on the Casualty set in Cardiff?
“Oh, absolutely,” says Jason, whose screen debut is next Saturday. “You can really feel the buzz.
“People are aware of the significance, from the likes of Derek Thompson playing Charlie right from the start to all the big new stuff we have coming.
“The show is in such a good place at the moment.”
And Jason says that despite all the various parts he’s played, he still found it pretty special when Casualty came calling.
“It was an absolute joy as it’s a series I’ve always wanted to do.
“It’s one of the BBC’s flagship shows, still has fantastic ratings and I’m honestly so excited to be here.”
One thing that doesn’t send his happiness levels soaring are the medical scenes David finds himself involved in.
The show’s medical advisors ensure it looks like he can put in a cannula with the best of them. But he admits his wife Kate finds the thought of him dealing with medical emergencies hilarious.
“I’m so squeamish, I absolutely hate the sight of blood.”
If Jason is a bit sheepish over the admission, it seems fitting.
He may come over a bit faint with human dramas but animals are another matter.
He lives on a Gloucestershire farm with Kate, an award-winning garden designer, and their kids Blossom, 11, and six-year-old twins Felix and Velvet.
“This time of year I’m right in the middle of lambing season and I love that,” he confides.
“I’m just hoping it all goes smoothly and we’ll have 20 to 30 little lambs running about the place. I’m more than happy to get stuck in and it’s wonderful when you see a lamb born.
“It’s great for the kids to see new life like that. And it’s a great place for them to grow up.
“It’s perfect to have the farm to come back to after long hours filming in the Emergency Department.”
When Jason quit Heartbeat he had a spell in Hollywood and met some of the acting world’s biggest names.
They included Al Pacino and Jason admits he was “quite a character” about whom he has no shortage of tales.
“When I met him he said, ‘Jason, we have so much in common’.
“I was looking at him thinking that, apart from maybe the fact we were both actors, we had absolutely NOTHING in common!
“It turned out our kids were at the same school but I still struggled to see a connection!”
It’s almost 20 years since Jason was the fresh-faced new bobby riding into Heartbeat on a 1960s motorbike.
“Thanks for the fresh-faced description,” he laughs. “I had great times on that show and have very fond memories.
“We were getting 18 million viewers and it was filmed in beautiful places.
“But I’ve played a lot of characters since Mike Bradley and I’m looking forward to people seeing David.”
Casualty, Saturday, BBC1, 8.50pm.
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