- Sources claim his salary may have been too high to be justified by BBC bosses
He has been the regular on the BBC drama Casualty for 38 years. No longer.
Senior charge nurse Charlie Fairhead left viewers in tears as he finally left the emergency department of the fictional Holby City Hospital after nearly four decades of service. But it could have been worse.
Fans feared that Charlie, played by Derek Thompson since the show’s inception in 1986, would die after being stabbed by a drug dealer in the previous cliffhanger episode. Instead, he survived – and promptly retired.
Sources say Thompson’s fate was sealed because his salary – between £349,999 and £399,999 a year – was too high for BBC chiefs to justify following the axing of Casualty spin-off Holby City and Doctors.
Now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the BBC must turn to the popular Barney Walsh to fill the void left by 75-year-old Thompson. Walsh, the son of actor and presenter Bradley Walsh, joined the show last year, playing hapless staff nurse Cameron ‘Cam’ Mickelthwaite.
Senior charge nurse Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) left viewers in tears when he finally left the fictional Holby City Hospital
Sources say Thompson’s fate was sealed because his salary – between £349,999 and £399,999 a year – was too high for BBC chiefs
Thompson will now take part in another BBC drama, Blue Lights, which follows a group of rookie police officers in Northern Ireland
Bosses think they can cash in on his high profile. He presents Gladiators on the BBC and has appeared with his father in ITV productions Breaking Dad and The Larkins. In Charlie’s absence, Cam would have bigger storylines and, executives hope, attract younger viewers. Walsh, 26, is also in talks to star in Strictly Come Dancing this year.
A BBC insider said: ‘Charlie was a bit of a rubbish nurse when he first arrived, as was Cam, which is why it’s all such a lovely idea from the bosses. They think it’s a good idea to turn Cam into the “face of the nurses” instead of Charlie. His popularity has skyrocketed since Gladiators, so it would mean he would get bigger storylines and be used more to prevent anyone else from grabbing him.”
On last night’s episode, Cam was integral in saving Charlie’s life. He found him seriously ill and alerted his colleague Stevie Nash – played by actress Elinor Lawless – who performed life-saving surgery on him.
After coming round, Charlie was joined at his bedside by his best friend, Josh Griffiths – played by actor Ian Bleasdale. He quit the show in 2007 and has only appeared occasionally since.
The pair then drove away in a yellow Beetle, with cans attached and a sign in the rear window that read: ‘Just retired.’ Fans also found out that Charlie saved Stevie’s father’s life when she was a young girl.
About his departure, Thompson said: “I never thought I would stay for 38 years. I initially signed on for three years, but it quickly became clear 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 the desk where people sit still fulfill the same function as on my first day.’
Thompson will now take part in another BBC drama, Blue Lights, which follows a group of rookie police officers in Northern Ireland.