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Casualty star Derek Thompson reflects on why he's been so popular 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 show during its first series on September 6 1986, making him its longest serving star.
It comes after Derek - 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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