Casualty's Derek Thompson admits Charlie Fairhead was due to leave years ago

12 March 2024 , 08:10

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Derek has shed light on Charlie's time on the show and revealed how long he was supposed to be on screen (Image: PA)

Casualty actor Derek Thompson has opened up about his time as Charlie Fairhead and how he was due to leave the drama years ago.

As fans anxiously wait to see if Charlie survives, the 75-year-old actor, the last original cast member from the show that started on 6 September 1986, says his final scenes mark the end of an era. Derek confessed he felt "heightened emotions" while filming his exit, revealing, "Charlie gets it wrong, and makes a mistake that he pays a dreadful price for. Last weekend, the patient was in a mess, and Charlie tried not to lose his temper, but he ended up getting on the wrong side of the man. As everyone saw, it ended with him being stabbed."

"I don't want to spoil it by saying whether or not he survives, but everything felt heightened when I filmed my last scenes," Derek added. "It felt like one of those big emotional moments in your life, like the birth of a child or your wedding." The shocking attack is part of a storyline that Derek hopes will highlight the growing violence against NHS staff. "I have utter respect for NHS staff," he says.

Derek Thompson has opened up about his time as Charlie Fairhead (PA)

"This final story really does create a realism, which will poke people in the eye and say, 'This really is painful for these people, and yet they struggle on'", he told OK! While he's proud of his final scenes, he admits feeling a bit sad about leaving the drama that has been such a big part of his life. He even met his second wife, Dee Sadler, on set.

The pair got married in 1989 and went on to have a son together. Derek, who also has an older son from a previous marriage, reflected on the moment he first saw Dee. "It was magnetism," he said. "I had to fend off two bigger blokes who were also keen on her, but they didn't stand a chance! I'm going to miss everyone on Casualty," he adds. "I feel very lucky to have been part of something that has given me so much."

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When asked if he ever thought he'd stay in the role of Charlie for so long, Derek responded: "No, I never envisaged I'd stay 38 years. I originally signed up for three years, but it soon became apparent what a great character he was to play. Medicine and television have both changed a lot since I started. But the basics are still there – the reception area and desk where people roll up is still performing the same function it did on my first day."

The actor admits the storyline involving Duffy and her struggle with vascular dementia has stuck with him (BBC)

Derek joined the BBC drama back in September 1986 (PA)

"I originally signed up for three years, but it quickly became clear what a great character he was to play. Medicine and television have both changed a lot since I started. But the basics are still there the reception area and desk where people roll up is still doing the same job it did on my first day."

Derek admitted he finds it hard to choose his best moments from the show. But he is very proud of the story where Duffy, played by Cathy Shipton, dies from vascular dementia. "The storyline I feel most personally attached to was Duffy's death through vascular dementia," Derek shares. He also remembers a powerful episode about a dad who takes his son and ends up in A&E. He added: "There was another where a father, whose son was being taken away by his mother, gets a gun and kidnaps the boy. He ends up in A&E and it was played beautifully."

As Charlie says goodbye to Casualty, Derek isn't thinking about stopping work. "Definitely not!" he commented. He's excited about his new part in BBC One's Blue Lights. "No way am I retiring," he tells us.

"I'm busier than ever and I'm working on some musical projects at the moment. In Blue Lights, I play a retired police officer, Robin Graham, whose past and conscience catch up with him when a trainee solicitor decides to investigate a decade-old case." But Derek doesn't think he's a "TV legend". "No, I don't see myself as a legend," he joked. He thinks of himself more like a runner who never stops.

Casualty airs at 9.25pm on Saturday on BBC One.

Daniel Bird