Belfast actor Derek Thompson has announced be leaving the BBC drama Casualty after 37 years in the role of Charlie Fairhead.
Appearing in nearly 900 episodes, Derek is Casualty’s longest-serving cast member and has played a central part in the show since it launched in 1986.
Derek will be filming until the autumn, and his final scenes as Charlie will air next year in the culmination of a gripping exit storyline which will see the character front and centre of the action.
