Blue Lights viewers were surprised as Casualty legend Derek Thompson cropped up in the BBC series – with a different accent.
The actor is well known to TV viewers as the medical drama’s Charlie Fairhead, a role he held from the pilot episode in 1986 until 2024. He left this year after 38 years and bagged a part in the police drama, playing a former officer.
Thompson is actually from Belfast originally, and when he appeared in Blue Lights on Monday (April 22) he was speaking in an Irish accent, which some viewers had not been expecting as he didn’t sound anything like Charlie.
What, how, and why?
The episode saw Jen Robinson (Hannah McClean) investigating an old case, a chip shop bombing from the 70s that had resulted in several deaths.
She ended up at the door of former officer Robin Graham (Thompson). However, he was no help to her, telling her that the past should stay there. She refused to give up and penned a note to Robin in case he changed his mind, pushing it through his door before she left.
He stood behind the closed door, reading the note and looking sombre as viewers wondered what he’d do next.
Despite the gripping plot, many people were distracted by seeing the Casualty stalwart in Blue Lights rather than wandering the halls of Holby City Hospital. And others remarked on it being odd to hear him speaking in his native accent.
What did viewers say?
“I was not expecting to see Charlie Fairhead in Blue Lights,” one person wrote on X. Another agreed: “I have watched Derek Thompson as Charlie for so long that it will be strange seeing him in a different role.”
“Really weird after all these years to hear Derek Thompson speaking with a Northern Irish accent!” said someone else. Another fan agreed: “So weird watching ‘Charlie’ on Blue Lights talking with an Irish accent!!”
“So that’s where Charlie Fairhead retired to after the NHS,” quipped another viewer. “What’s Charlie doing in this eh?” asked another fan.
“It’s Charlie from Casualty NOT being Charlie from Casualty,” said another viewer.
