Casualty star Derek Thompson to exit after 37 years as Charlie Fairhead

If you're wondering just how many episodes Thompson has appeared in, you're right to think it's a staggeringly high number – Thompson has appeared in almost 900 episodes.

Speaking about his decision to exit the series, 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."

If you're worried about an imminent departure, have no fear – Thompson won't be hanging up his scrubs as of now. The actor is set to continue filming until this autumn and his exit from the show is set to be a dramatic one. His final scenes as Charlie are slated to air next year and will be "the culmination of a gripping exit storyline which will see the character front and centre of the action", according to the BBC.

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But what exactly could be on the cards for Charlie? We'll just have to wait and see. Details of his final Casualty storyline will be revealed in due course but it's safe to say that Charlie has been through a plethora of plot lines and stories throughout the soap.

He's arguably the vital cog in the machine for the hospital’s emergency department and throughout his long tenure in the ED, he has been run over by an ambulance on his wedding day, had a near-fatal cardiac arrest and bid an emotional farewell to fellow nurse Duffy (Cathy Shipton).

He's loyal, compassionate and one of the mainstays of the series so it remains to be seen just how the series will write out such an iconic character.

Speaking about Thompson's departure from Casualty, executive producer Jon Sen 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 continues every Saturday evening on BBC One and is available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
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