Casualty star Derek Thompson is leaving his role as Charlie Fairhead after 37 years.
An original cast member, Thompson has appeared in nearly 900 episodes as Charlie since the show debuted in 1986.
According to the BBC, the actor will continue filming into the autumn, and his final scenes will air next year as part of a ‘gripping’ storyline.
Derek Thompson said:
“The time has come for me to hang up Charlie’s scrubs after the most wonderful 37 years. Charlie Fairhead was inspired by a real nurse – Pete Salt. Together with the writers and producers, I have tried to bring to Charlie the compassion, kindness, heroism and sound judgement that we all see and love in Pete and I want to say thanks to Pete and everyone else over that time who has inspired me in bringing this character to life.”
As a lynchpin in the ED, Charlie has been involved in countless storylines that have explored challenging and thought-provoking issues.
Having cared for thousands of patients himself, he has also seen a fair few of his own struggles throughout his long tenure in the ED, including when he was run over by an ambulance on his wedding day, a near-fatal cardiac arrest during a gang siege, and his loving relationship – and heart-breaking farewell – with his beloved fellow nurse Duffy (Cathy Shipton).
Jon Sen, Executive Producer of Casualty for BBC Studios, said:
“Derek and I would often joke that, after such a long and dramatic career in the NHS, there was almost nothing that Charlie hadn’t seen. So it was an amazing surprise to me when Derek arrived with a brilliant idea for Charlie’s exit as part of an upcoming storyline, which was too good to pass up. We will all miss Derek enormously.
“Over nearly four decades, Derek has crafted an iconic character who is woven into the fabric of British TV history. We will miss his craft, his humour and his on-screen presence. We’re also going to miss a friend, so for the next few months we’re going to have a ball filming Charlie’s final chapter.”
Casualty is produced in house by BBC Studios for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.