EXCLUSIVE: Derek Thompson, who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty, will leave the show early next year after 37 years in the role.

Casualty star Barney Walsh, who plays staff nurse Cameron (Cam) Mickelthwaite in the show, has opened up about the “honour” of working with show legend Derek Thompson, who plays Charlie Fairhead.

Derek is getting set to leave the series, having starred as the beleaguered nurse since the very first episode back in September 1986, and Barney, who joined the show earlier this year, is delighted to be a part of his final storyline.

“Being a newcomer to Casualty, we haven’t been there relatively long to everyone else, so for Charlie to be a part of our first episode and to be a part of Charlie’s last episode is a massive, massive honour,” he exclusively told Express.co.uk at the Inside Soap awards.

“To be able to be part of that it’s an historic moment, because that’s what it is really,” he said.

Best known for appearing alongside alongside his father Bradley Walsh in the documentary series Breaking Dad and period drama The Larkins, Barney is thoroughly enjoying this new challenge in his career.

Barney Walsh has opened up about working on Casualty (Image: Getty)

“This [Casualty] is an incredible job to do because it’s so true and so real and we’re honouring the NHS, which is so important to me.

“So this is an incredible thing to be a part of,” Barney enthused.

Expanding on what Barney said, his co-star Kirsty Mitchell, who plays advanced clinical practitioner Faith Cadogan, revealed that Charlie’s final episodes are “emotional”.

“We’re shooting those episodes now and it’s emotional, isn’t it? It’s an emotional thing for the character.

“He is Casualty so he’s what me and my nana used to sit down and watch you know. She loved him. We’re all very fond of him. I’ll miss him on the show but I’ll still see him. We’ll still go for coffee,” she said.

Derek Thompson who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty is leaving the show (Image: BBC)

Sarah Seggari, who joined the show with Barney playing staff nurse Rida Amaan, agrees with Kirsty.

“We’ll still be mates,” she said. “It’s like grandad’s not going to be in the corridor any more. He’s everyone’s adopted grandad,” she gushed.

Casualty is currently on an extended break, but is scheduled to return later this year.

Fans will have to wait until early next year to see how Charlie exits the show, but a teaser trailer reveals that fan favourite Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) is returning for his farewell episodes.