"Too Old for This Shift" is the 1005th episode of Casualty and the premiere of the 31st series. It was preceded by "Sticks and Stones" and followed by "Fall on Me". The episode was directed by Steve Hughes and written by Matthew Barry and Andy Bayliss. There was a big lead up to the episode and lots of promotional material was produced in the form of adverts, trailers and stills. It gained a positive response from the audience when it aired, and the production crew said that it would make viewers both laugh and cry.