Coronation Street's Stirling Gallacher has joined the cast of Casualty. 

The actress will play police officer Ffion, the wife of the well-loved paramedic Jan, played by Di Botcher, on the BBC One soap. Stirling is best known for playing Georgina Woodson in the BBC daytime series Doctors. She also memorably played the Prime Minister’s wife in Little Britain and has most recently been seen as Paula Martin in Coronation Street. "I am entirely delighted to be joining the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world… what’s not to be thrilled about," Stirling Gallacher said. "The added bonus is of course the folk that work on this fantastic show, I could not have felt more personally welcomed or professionally supported in what is often a bit of a nerve wracking build up to your first days filming. I look forward to many happy hours on Ffion Morgan's pretend beat.” “The audience may recall a single, somewhat loaded reference last year from Jan’s son Ross to her wife Ffion and the kids back home - so we’ve had her off-screen marriage up our sleeve for some time now and are really excited to explore it - not least with an actor as distinguished as Stirling, whom we are thrilled to welcome to the Casualty company, playing alongside the brilliant Di Botcher," Simon Harper, Executive Producer of Casualty and Holby City, added. "Jan has a huge and terrifying story coming up in the next series where Ross comes into her life again - and given that Ross is pretty dodgy and Ffion is a police officer, it’s all going to get pretty turbulent!” Stirling has started filming and will be on screens in Casualty from late Spring. And in good news for Corrie fans, it looks like she will still be around in Weatherfield as well.