Charlie Fairhead

Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson, is a fictional character from the BBC British medical drama Casualty. He is the longest-serving character, having been part of the cast for over 36 years, the only remaining original character from the first episode broadcast on 6 September 1986.

Charlie took a nine-month break from the show from Series 18 on 17 July 2004, returning on 1 January 2005 in Series 19. At the end of series 19, he left again with exit scenes airing on 20 August 2005. After a further four months off-screen, he returned to the series 20 Christmas crossover with Holby City, which aired on 24 December 2005. He has remained with the show since, but regularly takes breaks of around two months every year. In May 2023, it was confirmed that Thompson had chosen to quit his role as Charlie after 38 years on-screen, with Thompson filming his final scenes in 2023, with Charlie set to exit on-screen in 2024.

Charlie made four appearances in Casualty's sister show Holby City: the show's first episode in January 1999; the second episode to the Christmas crossover in December 2005; another crossover to Holby City in February 2010 when Charlie has a heart attack; and the most recent appearance in October 2012 when he interviewed Chantelle Lane (Lauren Drummond) for a full-time nursing position. Thompson also made an appearance in Casualty's spin-off police drama, HolbyBlue for its first episode in May 2007.