‘Casualty’ veteran Derek Thompson has landed a role on ‘Blue Lights’.
‘Casualty’ veteran Derek Thompson has landed a role on ‘Blue Lights’
The actor, 75, who quit playing emergency nurse Charlie Fairhead on the BBC hospital drama in 2023 after more than 30 years, has said he is overjoyed at his upcoming new part as retired police officer Robin Graham in the new series of BBC One’s crime drama.
He told the BBC: “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.
“I was thrilled and excited when I got the invitation to take part in series two.
“I’m sure the fans will love the second series every bit as much as the first.”
Derek has already been filming scenes for the cop show in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his character will be at the centre of a major new storyline he is convinced will keep fans gripped.
His character Robin’s secret past will be exposed when a trainee solicitor starts investigating an old case.
Others returning for the new series include Siân Brooke, 44, as Grace Ellis and Andi Osho, 51, as Sandra Cliff.
‘Blue Lights’ returns this spring on BBC One and will continue telling the story of probationary police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the experienced officers who train, mentor, and work with them.
The series was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, premiering on 27 March 2023, with third and fourth series also already commissioned.
It features Siân’s character as a mother in her 40s who left her job as a social worker to join the PSNI, but only weeks into the job she wonders if she’s made the right decision.
The series also focuses on fellow rookies Annie Conlon and Tommy Foster as they also struggle under the pressures of the job.