Sam Nicholls

Sam Nicholls
Casualty character
Charlotte Salt as Sam Nicholls
First appearance	"Mea Culpa" 15 October 2011
Portrayed by	Charlotte Salt
Spinoff(s)	"Casualty: Under Fire" (2012)
Information
Occupation	Specialty registrar in emergency medicine (prev. Core Training Year 2/3, Army medic)
Spouse(s)	Dylan Keogh (until 2012) Tom Kent (2013–)

Samantha "Sam" Nicholls is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Charlotte Salt. She first appeared in the twenty-sixth series episode "Mea Culpa", broadcast on 15 October 2011. Sam is a former major in the Royal Army Medical Corps, who joined the Holby City Hospital Emergency Department on a nine-month secondment, later becoming a Specialty registrar in emergency medicine. Salt was contracted for a year and she spoke with army medics to help her prepare for the role.

Sam is portrayed as being a fearless, headstrong, competitive "action girl". Salt said she is also haunted by her time in Afghanistan. A few months after her arrival, it emerged that Sam was married to fellow ED doctor Dylan Keogh (William Beck). The estranged couple often struggled to stay professional, especially when Sam filed for divorce. A storyline arc focusing on whether Sam used excessive force on a patient began in early 2012. A formal complaint is made against Sam, resulting in a General Medical Council hearing. The character's backstory was also explored further in a special Red Button episode set in Afghanistan.

Sam was later given a love interest in Tom Kent (Oliver Coleman). The couple's relationship is tested by her friendship with Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), but they later marry and make their last appearances in twenty-eighth series episode "Away in a Manger", which aired on 14 December 2013. Sam was well received by critics and viewers. On 25 April 2017, it was announced that Salt had reprised her role as Sam, and would return to filming in May. Salt said she was "thrilled" to return and was excited about telling Sam's story once again.