Casualty star Amanda Henderson has admitted she was “shocked” to learn Robyn Miller would be killed off after more than a decade on the BBC medical drama.
The actress joined Casualty in 2013 and became a fan favourite as nurse Robyn, before her character was dramatically killed in a car crash in 2023.
Now, reflecting on her exit as Casualty marked its 40th anniversary, Amanda has revealed she had always been prepared for her time on the show to come to an end - but had specifically hoped bosses wouldn't kill her character off.
Speaking to Zingo Bingo, Amanda says she was called into a meeting and told her contract wouldn't be renewed, with producers explaining they needed to kill a “really lovable character” to kick-start the show's next major storyline.
While she admits the news came as a “shock”, Amanda says Robyn's death ultimately gave her closure after ten years on the show - although she has joked she would happily return as a “weird twin sister” or even a ghost.
Speaking on behalf of online bingo brand Zingo Bingo, Amanda Henderson says:
Did you have any input into your exit storyline? How did it come about?
I’ll say no, not really. We had a meeting and they said, “We’re not going to renew your contract.” I was fortunate - or unfortunate, because now the character’s dead and I can’t go back - because they needed to kill off a really lovable character in order to kick off the next storyline. So it was nice that they thought of me as a lovable character, because I think Robyn is lovely. I’d be friends with her! It was a shock. I’d always said, “I’m happy if they don’t extend my contract. I’ve been here 10 years, it’s fine. I just don’t really want to get killed off,” and then I did!
People are always saying, “Oh, we’re just popping back to do this episode and this episode,” and I’m like, “Can I come back as a ghost?” I’ll just wear a white sheet in the background and go, “Ooh!” But filming some of the scenes I had leading up to the death, and the death itself, was heartbreaking for me and heartbreaking for everybody else. You don’t want to see your friend lying on a table with their guts all out, do you? My mum knew what was happening and she said, “The day that episode airs, I need you to sit next to me on the sofa. I don’t want you anywhere else. You have to sit next to me. I have to know that you’re still alive and you’re still fine.” The amount of texts I had saying, “I’m just checking you’re still alive.” I was like, “Yes, yes, I’m still here!” The team did a really good job of making me look very dead.
What was your reaction when you actually found out you were being killed off?
I understood the fact that it was kicking off the next storyline, but obviously I was sad. I loved being on Casualty. I knew I was ready to leave because I’d done so well and I’d been there for such a long time. A lot of new people had come in - and again, I got on with everybody - but a lot of my friends had been and gone. I knew it was time for me to leave. I just don’t think I was quite ready to be killed off. But what an exit. What a dramatic exit. The fact that my last line in the whole show was, “And I’m taking my cake.” Brilliant. “And I’m taking my cake.” Bang. Dead!
What was it like knowing this really was it for your character?
I think it gave me a weird bit of better closure, knowing I can’t go back and knowing that is it - unless I go back as a weird twin sister or something. It was quite a nice bookend for me and it really closed that chapter. The crew and everyone filming my last episodes were just brilliant. I actually had a really good time filming all those episodes.
My arguments with Charles Venn around the second-to-last or last episode - I love working with Charles Venn. He's a brilliant actor. I got to do some really nice, juicy things before I left. I was more sad for Aurora, who played my little girl Charlotte. I was like, “Oh no, does that mean she’s not coming back either? Sorry!” I mean, I’ve not ended her career. She’s gone on to do thousands of other things, she’s amazing. She’s got better things than me!
What was your final day of filming like?
I finished filming in the morning and then went and shot this weird Casualty and Pobol y Cwm crossover because they were filmed in the same studios. It was me, Derek Thompson and Di Botcher. I’d previously done a Welsh-language programme, so they got me onto Pobol y Cwm speaking a bit of Welsh. It was a weird finishing day because I literally walked into the next studio and filmed something else.
It took me a good few weeks to realise it was over. Only a couple of weeks later I went off and did panto, so I think it was after I’d finished panto that I went, “Right. I’m not going back to filming again. I don’t know what to do with myself.” It took me a while. Ten years is a long time to be on something, so it was a big change. But people say, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened.” I’m super glad it happened. What a job.
Viewers had such a strong reaction to Robyn’s death. Were you surprised by how much people cared?
Yeah. I honestly thought people were going to be like, “Ding dong, the witch is dead! Great, she’s gone!” But no, people were stopping me in the street being like, “You’re alive!” They were saying, “We can’t deal with the fact that you’re dead.”
I got loads of beautiful messages from people, which was really, really nice. I’m sure some people were really glad Robyn was dead. I can understand - she was a bit annoying, she’s exactly like me! I was really grateful for all the beautiful messages that people sent. It was lovely.
