Derek Thompson teases whether Charlie Fairhead will survive the brutal knife attack, how he met his wife on Casualty and the heart-stopping moment Kate Winslet starred in the hospital drama
After 38 years of playing nurse Charlie Fairhead, Casualty ’s longest-running star, Derek Thompson, is bidding an emotional farewell to the hit medical drama, after his shock stabbing by a patient. With viewers waiting to find out whether Charlie survives, the 75-year-old actor – the only remaining member of the original cast of the drama, which began on 6 September 1986 – says his final scenes mark the end of an era.
“I don’t want to spoil it by saying whether or not he survives, but everything felt heightened when I filmed my last scenes,” adds Derek. “It felt like one of those big emotional moments in your life, like the birth of a child or your wedding.” While he is proud of his final scenes, he says his departure is tinged with sadness that he will no longer be part of a drama that has played such a huge part in his life. Indeed, he met his second wife, Dee Sadler, on the set. They married in 1989 and went on to have a son. Derek, who also has an older son from his first marriage, smiles as he recalls the moment he first set eyes on Dee.
Did Derek ever imagine, when he took on the role of Charlie, that he would stay so long? “No, I never envisaged I’d stay 38 years,” he smiles. “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.
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