It’s that time of year again – Casualty is nearly back on our screens! With the long-running medical drama set to return at the weekend, we now have a new trailer for the latest boxset from the BBC.

Titled ‘Learning Curve’, the new season will see the hospital and its residents faced with some of their “biggest challenges” yet, with the workers battling personal demons and workplace problems.

Ahead of the launch on Saturday (10 January), it has been confirmed that Aron Julius and Jasmine Bayes have joined the cast as Matty and Kim respectively, with the pair being introduced as trainee doctors.

“I am absolutely buzzing to be joining Casualty as Dr Matty Linlaker,” said Julius. “It’s a dream job – fast, fun and full of heart – and I can’t wait for audiences to meet him. Saturday nights just got a little more chaotic.”

“I am delighted to be joining the ED alongside Aron for Casualty’s 40th year,” added Bayes. “The journey Kim goes on is far from simple, and I hope audiences are prepared to follow her into some troubled waters.”

It will be a baptism of fire for the pair, with the ED being thrust into a new crisis. Though Matty and Kim are both capable, they will soon face the challenges of the ED while wrestling with their own set of obstacles.

“As the Emergency Department is overwhelmed and the CQC closes in, Flynn and Siobhan must unite the team as tensions threaten to break it apart,” reads the logline for ‘Learning Curve’.

“Faith and Iain struggle to overcome a new challenge in their relationship, as Cam and Indie’s [romance] heats up. Meanwhile, two new arrivals shake the ED up. Will they adapt to the job or fall at the first hurdle?”

In addition to newcomers Julius and Bayes, the principal cast for the latest boxset includes Olly Rix, Melanie Hill, Kirsty Mitchell, Michael Stevenson, Barney Walsh and Naomi Wakszlak.

In addition to the customary combination of drama and action, the 12-part season will purportedly “dive into themes of resilience, acceptance and repairing fractured bonds” – but what does that entail for the central characters?