Charlie Fairhead

Casualty star Derek Thompson feared that he had Parkinson's disease when he started suffering from strange symptoms.

The actor - who bows out as nurse Charlie Fairhead after 20 years in tonight's episode - felt terrified when he started having cramp in his neck, as well as twitches and tremors of his head.

Derek hid his symptoms from his cast members for six months but eventually decided to see a doctor. He then discovered that he was suffering from dystonia; a neurological disorder which causes involuntary muscle movements.

"I went to see a specialist, a neurologist, who was about 7ft tall, very expensively dressed and was very upper class," Derek told The Mirror.

"He said, 'Have you ever heard of dystonia? Well you've got it. You were worried it was Parkinson's weren't you? It's a life sentence not a death sentence. You will have it for the rest of your life'.

"But I thought this is a relief because he was right, I thought it was the early onset of Parkinson's."

Thompson then contacted the Dystonia Society and was advised that botox treatment would reduce the severity of his symptoms.

"I had botox treatment and the transformation was instant," he said. "Within a week the symptoms had dropped to about 10 per cent of what they were previously. It was extraordinary."

I wonder if that is one of the reasons he left casualty.

he is leaving

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cas...blue-lights-2/

Casualty actor Derek Thompson has been confirmed for a new role after leaving the medical drama.

Thompson has played Charlie Fairhead on the show since it began until this year. Even though his last episode hasn't aired yet, he's already been announced for something new.

The actor will appear in season 2 of BBC drama Blue Lights, featuring in episodes two to six.

He will be playing retired officer Robin Graham, who has a past he's been trying to forget, but when trainee solicitor Jen Robinson opens an investigation into a decades-old case, he may have no choice but to face it head on.

The show also serves as a homecoming for Thompson, as it is filmed in his hometown of Belfast.

"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," the actor said.

"I was thrilled and excited when I got the invitation to take part in series 2. 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.?

Other newcomers for season 2 are Frank Blake, Seamus O'Hara, and Se?na Kerslake.

Returning cast members include Si?n Brooke, Martin McCann, Katherine Devlin, Nathan Braniff, Joanne Crawford, Andi Osho, and Hannah McClean.

Paddy Jenkins, Desmond Eastwood, Jonathan Harden, and Andrea Irvine have also been confirmed to return.

Blue Lights will air on BBC One and iPlayer in the spring, while two more seasons have been greenlit.

Casualty bosses confirmed last year that Derek Thompson would be bowing out of his role as Charlie after 37 years.

"The time has come for me to hang up Charlie's scrubs after the most wonderful 37 years," the actor said at the time.

"Charlie Fairhead was inspired by a real nurse ? Pete Salt. Together with the writers and producers, I have tried to bring to Charlie the compassion, kindness, heroism and sound judgement that we all see and love in Pete, and I want to say thanks to Pete and everyone else over that time who has inspired me in bringing this character to life."