Derek Thompson to depart BBC drama Casualty after 37 years
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asualty’s longest-serving solid member Derek Thompson will depart the cleaning soap after virtually 4 many years enjoying Charlie Fairhead, the BBC has introduced.
The 75-year-old stated “the time has come for me to hang up Charlie’s scrubs after the most wonderful 37 years” starring in practically 900 episodes of the much-loved TV programme.
The BBC stated Thompson shall be filming till autumn, together with his closing scenes airing subsequent yr within the “culmination of a gripping exit storyline which will see the character front and centre of the action”.
Thompson stated: “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 judgment 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.”
Thompson’s character has performed a “central part in the show” because it launched in 1986, because the “lynchpin of the hospital’s emergency department” and on the centre of “countless major storylines which explored challenging and thought-provoking subjects”, the BBC stated.
Jon Sen, govt producer of Casualty for BBC Studios, stated: “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.”
During his time on the present, his character was run over by an ambulance on his wedding ceremony day, suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest throughout a gang siege, and noticed the “heart-breaking farewell” of his loving relationship with fellow nurse Duffy (Cathy Shipton).
In 2017, the actor was the highest earner within the scripted TV (drama and comedy) class, incomes between £350,000-£399,999 and rating above stars comparable to Danny Dyer and Peter Capaldi, in keeping with figures from the BBC’s annual report.
The BBC stated particulars of Thompson’s closing Casualty storyline shall be revealed “in due course”.