Ruby Spark
Ruby Spark is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Maddy Hill. She first appears in the forty-first episode of series thirty-two, originally broadcast on 14 July 2018. The character and Hill's casting details were announced on 18 January 2018 and she began filming during the following month. For the role, the actress qualified as a Heavy Goods Vehicle driver. Ruby is a paramedic and is characterised as a smart, caring and opinionated perfectionist who lacks social skills. Her near-photographic memory of procedures and medication serves as an important character point as she struggles to deviate from the rules. The character's backstory states that she has just graduated from university, adding to her over-emphasis on rules. Ruby is introduced as part of the show's increased focus on paramedics and producers wanted to explore the profession through the character.
Ruby clashes with paramedic Iain Dean and was integrated into his story about post-traumatic stress disorder. The story develops in a Casualty-''Holby City'' crossover event, "CasualtyXHolby", where Ruby finds Iain after he attempts suicide. Producers created a new story for Ruby when she is stalked by a patient's daughter, Dani Mallison. In her next story, Ruby's sister, Violette Spark, is introduced. She struggles with a heroin addiction and later dies, so Ruby begins caring for her newborn daughter Harmony. The story leads to the character's departure from the serial and she exits in the thirty-first episode of series thirty-four, originally broadcast on 18 April 2020. The character has been well-received by critics and viewers alike, with Violette's death receiving particular praise.
Casting
On 18 January 2018, it was announced that actress Maddy Hill had joined Casualty as paramedic Ruby Spark. She began filming during the following month. Hill expressed her excitement at joining the show and described Ruby as a character "like no one I've ever played before". Lucy Raffety, the show's series producer, was pleased about Hill's casting and expected her to be a "massive hit" with the audience. Reflecting on the casting in August 2018, Raffety opined that Hill had "embraced part of Ruby".For two years, Hill appeared on soap opera EastEnders. She found her prior experience helpful when filming on Casualty, as the two shows operated similarly. The differences between Ruby and her EastEnders character, Nancy Carter, were a significant reason for Hill accepting the role. She felt that Ruby presented a challenge for her to enjoy. She told Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy that she liked playing characters that she would not befriend in real life as it challenges her as an actress. For the role, the actress spent a day learning how to perform CPR. She also had to take another driving test in preparation for driving an ambulance. She took part in a two day-long course in Somerset, which qualified her to drive a Heavy Goods Vehicle. Hill initially found that the gory scenes made her "light-headed" but soon calmed when she realised it was a jam-like substance used to create the fake blood. Hill relocated from London to Cardiff, where the show is filmed, for the role. She made the decision to live in a flat rather than stay in a hotel as many cast members opt to do, and she later began sharing a flat with co-star George Rainsford, who portrays Ethan Hardy.
Development
Characterisation
Ruby is billed as a "conscientious and ambitious" paramedic who has an "idealistic" view of the world. She is a perfectionist, smart, caring and opinionated. Hill called Ruby "very pedantic and rule-abiding", which she was excited to portray as she felt it would create comedic scenarios. She had not portrayed a character with these traits before. The actress told Allison Jones of Inside Soap that Ruby is "very textbook" and her "obsession" with rule-following often lands her in trouble. She added that Ruby is "not very malleable to the people she meets". Ruby's intelligence makes her perfect for treating patients at accident scenes. The character is described as "naïve" and despite being able to "literally quote the rule book", she has lots to learn about the practicalities of being a paramedic. Hill explained that Ruby is often more likely to follow the rules rather than use her "common sense and judgement", which creates problems. She frequently struggles with the job's "more instinctual parts". Hill suggested that Ruby should become more flexible in her work. As part of her job, she has to challenge her core values.One of Ruby's main characteristics is her near-photographic memory of procedures and medications. Hill felt that Ruby's near-photographic memory of textbooks challenged her as it meant she could not improvise her lines at risk of messing the order of the medical terminology. When paramedics bring a patient to the emergency department, they perform a handover to the medics. Paramedics typically recite the patient's medical state using written notes, but Ruby's near-photographic memory means that she remembers everything. This presented a challenge for Hill, who had to recall all the intricate details. To familiarise herself with a typical handover, Hill asked producers for an example before she began filming, which she found lengthy. The actress admitted that she was surprised to find Ruby's first handover was much longer than this, lasting three pages of the script. Ruby's extensive knowledge means that she knows the rules that she should follow and therefore, she struggles to deviate from them.
Ruby is very self-conscious and does not let her guard down. To avoid any mishaps in her social life, Ruby tries to avoid social situations. If she was in an embarrassing situation, Ruby would replay the situation in her head multiple times afterwards. Hill thought that her character's lack of self-confidence may irritate viewers, or make her "endearing", but was unsure which. Due to her devotion to her work, Ruby does not find time to socalise. Hill found this amusing and very realistic. Ruby wants to make friends at work but struggles with this. She bonds with her boss, operational duty manager Jan Jenning and Hill explained that Jan recognises that Ruby's "heart is in the right place" and does not want her to feel isolated. The actress thought that her character would not suit a relationship as she would struggle to relax. She theorised that Ruby may have once had a boyfriend, but found it "all too stressful".
Producers incorporated some of Hill's own characteristics into Ruby's personality as they learnt more about her. The character's backstory states that she has just graduated from university. Hill thought this reflected how real-life paramedics were sent into the job without time "learning on the job". She added that the NHS needs people immediately due to how overstretched it is, so Ruby believes that she can "hit the ground running". The actress also felt this aided her portrayal of the character as they were both starting new experiences. Ruby's costume is a paramedic uniform, which Hill enjoyed wearing. She dubbed it her "ninja turtle suit" and was likened to Lara Croft while wearing it. The design of the costume meant that Hill could wear thermals underneath, which helped her in the colder months.
Introduction
The character is introduced in the forty-first episode of series thirty-two, originally broadcast on 14 July 2018. The episode marks the show's return following a two-week summer break. Her introduction was previewed in the show's summer trailer, released in July 2018. Two promotional clips of her debut were also released on 10 and 13 July, respectively. The character's introduction builds towards the show's thirty-third series which has a focus on the paramedic team. Producers explored the life of a paramedic through the character of Ruby. Raffety thought this would be "both heartwarming and heartbreaking", and explained that Ruby provides an "immediate experience of what it's like to be out on the rig and be part of this slightly dysfunctional paramedic family". Hill was excited about the focus on the paramedic team.Her first day is billed as "a baptism of fire" that causes Ruby to question herself. Ruby begins her shift with the mindset of following the rules and what she learnt at university. Hill explained that Ruby believes that "if she follows the rules then everything will be alright". On her first call out, Ruby is punched by a patient. This was the first scene Hill filmed and she thought it made "an ideal introduction". On another call out, Ruby tries to save an elderly patient but inadvertently worsens the situation. Hill attributed this to Ruby following rules "too closely", but believed that her character was justified in wanting to follow the rules on her first day. At the end of the day, Jan evaluates Ruby's position on the team and considers whether she is suited to working in Holby. Hill spent her first week of filming on location with Michael Stevenson and Charlotte Salt, which she enjoyed. Her first scenes were filmed during the Beast from the east weather event and Hill found filming very cold. A typical filming schedule for the actress consists of a week filming on location, followed by a week filming in the show's studios. She enjoyed this and likened it to filming a movie.
Ruby's personality creates problems with her colleagues Iain and Sam. Where Ruby feels the need to follow the rules, they are more confident and trust their decisions. On this, Hill commented, "They are basically lads and Ruby is just not a lad at all." She explained that Ruby plays "gooseberry" between Iain and Sam and "ruptures their friendship". Hill added that while they clash on their decisions, they are pushed together by their desire to help people. Ruby initially does not trust them, which Hill thought she needed to work on. The actress thought that Iain would be "the perfect person" for Ruby to learn from as he uses his instinct a lot. She added that if Ruby sees Iain working well, she would "learn to loosen up a bit". As Ruby begins to learn from Iain and Sam, they start to warm to her. Hill noted that Iain starts to "respect Ruby's knowledge".