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Casualty star Derek Thompson insists beloved nurse Charlie was supposed to leave DECADES ago - as longest serving cast-member prepares to bow out after 38-years on the ward


The actor is preparing to bow out as clinical nurse Charlie Fairhead after joining the BBC medical drama during its first series on September 6 1986.

Now 75-years old, Thompson - who appeared in British gangster film The Long Good Friday and Channel 4 soap Brookside before stepping into the role - says it was originally outlined as a short-term job by show producers. Charlie's life currently hangs in the balance after he was stabbed by a crazed patient, part of a new storyline that Thompson hopes will draw attention to the increasing threat of violence faced by NHS workers. As trainee solicitor Jen Robinson (Hannah McClean) investigates a decades old case that is set to insight havoc in the present day, the pensioner is confronted with his murky past.

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