Lily Allens younger brother Alfie, whom she immortalised in song last year, has landed a role in BBC’s new drama, Casualty 1907.

Following the popular Casualty 1906 (December 2006, BBC One) this new series will plunge viewers into the various medical crises in London’s East End 100 years ago.

Each one-hour episode of Casualty 1907 uses case notes, ward reports, autopsy records and diaries to bring actual doctors, nurses and patients at The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, vividly back to life.

The series captures a world in which life expectancy is just 45, and where one in seven children die by the age of five. Streets are teeming with trouble. Gangland rivalry is rife and fears about terrorism and security are on the increase. Yet, despite the extreme hardship, resilience in the community is remarkable and their fighting spirit shines through.