Casualty star Derek Thompson has landed his first role after departing the long-running BBC medical drama. He left the show after playing Charlie Fairhead for an astonishing 38 years and, although the character is still on screens for another fortnight, he filmed his final scenes some time ago.

This freed him up to take a role in the second series of Blue Lights. Belfast native Derek returned to the city to film his guest starring role as retired police officer Robin Graham, whose past and conscience catch up with him when trainee solicitor Jen Robinson (Hannah McClean) investigates a decades-old case that has dangerous implications for the present.

He will appear from episode two until episode six of the police procedural show. He looks a million miles away from Charlie in the part, as he sports a new beard and wears clothing other than the scrubs he has been seen in for so many years.

“I loved the first series of Blue Lights and thought, as did the majority of my friends and colleagues, that it was the best new TV series of last year,” Derek said. “I was thrilled and excited when I got the invitation to take part in series two.

“I was born in Belfast and was equally excited to travel over to work on the show and pleased to report, having read the scripts, that I’m sure the fans will love the second series every bit as much as the first. Greatly looking forward to it myself as I’m one of them,” he added.

Derek Thompson has landed a role in season two of Blue Lights (Image: BBC)

The news follows the announcement that the BBC has commissioned a further two series of the Belfast-based police drama before the second series even airs on BBC One and iPlayer this spring. Blue Lights launched to more than 7 million viewers last year and was within the UK’s top ten new drama series of 2023.

Derek has played Charlie in Casualty since the very first episode back in 1986.

He was 38 when the show began but, other than a role in the 1965 feature film Gonks Go Beat, he had only been acting on screen for less than a decade, having had a music career with his sister and enjoyed a successful run in the theatre.

He was the only remaining character from the original cast and his only notable absence in that time was in 2004, when his character went on a six-month sabbatical.

The 78-year-old is set to say goodbye to Holby ED in a fortnight following a dramatic story thread called A History Of Violence, which has examined assaults on medical professionals in the ED.

Derek Thompson has played Charlie Fairhead in Casualty for nearly four decades (Image: BBC)

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In series two of Blue Lights, Grace (played by Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff) are growing in confidence as police officers, but nothing can prepare them for the turmoil they face every day.

Tommy is dangerously seduced by the world of intelligence policing, while Grace struggles to deal with her son’s absence, and growing feelings for fellow officer Stevie.

As a young loyalist threatens to take over the city, the officers face a major gangland feud – culminating in a violent and devastating confrontation.

Constable Shane Bradley (Frank Blake) is drafted in to help, but there is more to him than meets the eye.