Casualty’s Derek Thompson’s only interview as he quits show after 38 years: ‘I don’t see myself as a legend’

ok.co.uk:

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.

Admitting that he felt “heightened emotions” while filming his departure, Derek reveals, “Charlie gets it wrong, and makes a mistake that he pays a dreadful price for. “Last weekend, the patient was in a mess, and Charlie tried not to lose his temper, but he ended up getting on the wrong side of the man.

As everyone saw, it ended with him being stabbed.” “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.” The shocking attack is part of an ongoing storyline that Derek hopes will shine a light on the increasing amount of violence against NHS staff. “I have utter respect for NHS staff,” he says. “This final story really does create a realism, which will poke people in the eye and say, ‘This really is painful for these people, and yet they struggle on.’” 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.