'Casualty' director thrilled over Oscar nod

Casualty director Ian Barnes has said that he is "incredibly pleased and proud" over the news that he is in the running for an Oscar.

Earlier this week, Barnes's short film Wish 143 made the list of nominations for this year's Academy Awards, appearing in the 'Live Action Short' category.

Barnes worked on Wish 143 back in 2009. The project was filmed in Bristol and tells the story of a young boy who is desperate to come of age before his time runs out.

Discussing the moment he heard about his Oscar nod, Barnes recalled: "I was in the middle of a planning meeting for Casualty and we all trooped out to watch the nominations on the internet. When news of the nomination came through, the whole Casualty office went berserk - it was like England had won the World Cup or something.

"I had a little jump up and down and then went back into the planning meeting. I'm incredibly pleased and proud but it's quite surreal and I'm struggling to take it all in. I'm just trying to concentrate on my next episode of Casualty and trying not to think about Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson!"

Wish 143 also has a second connection to Casualty as it was penned by show writer Tom Bidwell.

Casualty's series producer Oliver Kent commented: "We're overwhelmingly proud of Ian and Tom and absolutely delighted for the success of Wish 143. Win or lose at the Oscars, we'll always be happy to welcome them back to Casualty!"

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