Derek Thompson to Say Farewell to Casualty After 37 Years

Published

4 months ago

May 31, 2023

Derek Thompson to Say Farewell to Casualty After 37 Years

Derek Thompson will leave his role as Charlie Fairhead on the BBC drama Casualty early next year.

Derek is the longest-running regular on Casualty, having appeared in almost 900 episodes since the show premiered in 1986. Derek will continue filming until autumn, and his last scenes as Charlie will air in the new year as the culmination of a compelling exit storyline that puts Charlie at the centre of the action.

What does Derek Thompson say

Derek Thompson says: “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.”

Lynchpin of the ED

Charlie has been the anchor of the hospital’s emergency room and the catalyst for countless epic plots that have probed deep and weighty issues.

While working in the ED for so long, Charlie has seen his fair share of difficulties, including being run over by an ambulance on his wedding day, suffering a near-fatal cardiac arrest during a gang siege, and having an amazing relationship with and heartbreaking farewell from his beloved fellow nurse Duffy (Cathy Shipton). Charlie has been there for everyone who has needed him as the department’s reliable centre.

Charlie’s final story arc on Casualty will be detailed at a later date.

Who makes the series

Casualty is a BBC Studios Continuing Drama production for BBC One and iPlayer. The Executive Producer for BBC Studios is Jon Sen, and the Series Producer is Liza Mellody. Rebecca Ferguson is the Commissioning Editor for the BBC.

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