The personal bombshell: Iain is forced to confront his painful past

Paramedic Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) is already carrying more weight than usual on his shoulders when a phone call drops a devastating secret—he’s been named next of kin for someone he’d long hoped to keep out of his life. As fans know, that person is his abusive, alcoholic mother, Kim Harrison, now nearing the end of her life

Iain’s reaction is as explosive as it is emotional: he throws himself into work, pushing his body and mind to dangerous extremes. His survival instinct—born from a childhood of caretaking and trauma—becomes a weapon he uses to shield himself from pain. The question becoming clear: will saving others cost him his own salvation?

The deadly emergency: Marburg exposure throws Holby into chaos

At the same time, Holby ED faces a nightmare scenario. During a tense HART operation, paramedic Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) makes a split-second decision to open a sealed isolation chamber to treat a seizing patient. The problem? The patient tests positive for the Marburg virus—and is also a drug mule

Now Iain is exposed to a potentially lethal pathogen, setting off one of the most terrifying crises Holby has ever seen. As Iain waits for test results, Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell) waits at home, paralysed by the possibility that her husband may not return alive

When trauma meets terror

One catastrophe would be more than enough—but Supply and Demand is doubling down. Iain, already emotionally volatile from the news about his mother, now faces the very real possibility of death from a viral infection. It pushes his survival instinct into overdrive—and forces everyone around him to confront how little trust remains between them.

Teddy, wracked by guilt, must carry the burden of his mistake. The rest of the team, already stretched thin by the drug crisis, now face a new terror with potentially explosive consequences for the entire ED.

What’s next for Iain—and the team?

1. Iain’s mental and physical collapse
The twin pressure of grief and virus might break him. He needs help, but will he accept it—or fall into the same darkness he’s always tried to outrun?

2. Teddy’s redemption—or ruin
Will this hover dangerously close to career-ending? Can trust be rebuilt—or is he already beyond saving?

3. Broader impact on Holby ED
Drug shortages, morphine theft, and now a viral scare: with everyone stretched to breaking, how will the department survive?

Why this episode is a game-changer

This storyline escalates Casualty from high-stakes drama to outright dystopian fear. One personal bomb, one biological disaster, and every character now teeters on the edge. It’s ambitious storytelling—and it’s sure to dominate water-cooler chatter.

Fans won’t recover easily from this. And with so much at stake—personally, professionally, and pathogenically—every shift could be their last.