Derek Thompson and George Rainsford are set to return to Casualty, reprising their roles as Charlie Fairhead and Ethan Hardy as the BBC medical drama celebrates its 40th anniversary. Casualty, the world’s longest-running show of its kind, will commemorate the milestone in September with a two-part story. The special will see a “high-stakes major incident” throw Holby City Hospital into chaos, with lives hanging in the balance and the emergency department team “pushed to their limits”.
Thompson, 78, has been one of the longest-serving characters on the programme, having debuted as nurse Charlie in the first episode of Casualty back in 1986. His character was at the heart of the show for almost four decades, with storylines including a romance with Dr Baz Wilder (Julia Watson) who later died in a car crash, leaving him to raise their son Louis. Charlie also faced many near-death experiences during his time at Holby City Hospital, having survived a cardiac arrest, been run over by an ambulance and been stabbed by a patient.
The Northern Irish actor, who is from Belfast, appeared in nearly 900 episodes, but left the show in 2024 when his character retired. Thompson will return two years after his exit for the anniversary celebrations alongside Rainsford, who portrayed medical consultant Ethan Hardy for almost a decade. New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. The 44-year-old joined the show in 2014 and his character has featured in storylines revolving around a Huntington’s disease diagnosis, the death of his brother Caleb Knight and a romance with Fenisha Khatri (Olivia D’Lima).
Rainsford, also known for Call The Midwife, left the programme after nine years in 2023 when his character resigned from his role in the emergency department to focus on raising his young son Bodhi. His character shared a deeply supportive and mentor-like relationship with Charlie during their time on the show together, with the senior nurse often acting as a father figure to him. They will reunite on-screen in the eagerly awaited anniversary episodes, and have been pictured returning to the emergency ward amid the upcoming drama.
Other glimpses at the episode show Ethan wearing a stethoscope around his neck with a wound on his forehead, and he is also pictured sharing a friendly exchange with Charlie. The Bafta-winning show first launched in 1986 and led to hit spin-off show Holby City, which was based around its fictional setting in south-west England. The show, which has been filmed at Cardiff’s BBC Roath Lock Studios since 2011, is expected to move to a new fictional hospital in Wales next year.
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