BBC CASUALTY: He's gone and we just move on (no notice needed)

[AnImaginaryCat]

New thread. New era. New series.

I don't think it would have detracted from " Charlie's story " too much 🤔 ?

Me too!

I vaguely remember now the leaf and Dylan's drinking .

My husband retired from the NHS about 5 years ago. Ìt took ages to organise his pension. Though tbf to Charlie, many collect their pension and work part time after, so just because he's working doesn't mean he's not already getting his pension.

I was a bit confused about the time span of his earlier career. I thought it was Charlie as a student or newly qualified nurse but Everybody Wants to Rule the World would've been around 1984, so 40 years back but Charlie is 75 so he would've been in his 30s. Not unusual to have a career change but I thought he was in nursing from school. Also little Stevie was supposed to gave been about 6 or 7, which again taking on board the song would have made her mid 40s but I would have guessed her as being 10 years younger?

I'm glad Charlie retired rather than died!

i player usually let you see Saturdays episode from earlier in the day but not today. I think it was because it was a special episode and the public weren't to have spoilers....they've done the same with Eastenders.

I’d have thought Stevie is meant to be mid 40s. I really wouldn’t put her mid-30s. Plus I think she’s supposed to be ages with Faith, who is clearly >40.

Charlie seemed to be a reasonably established nurse in the flashbacks - joking about taking the senior nurse’s job… I’m fairly confused about how this all works out too though!

I thought he was supposed to be newly qualified, being so horrified and upset that someone had actually died!

It was probably the manner of the guy's death, his youth and the fact that he was about to be a dad. I think sometimes were forget how brutal the Troubles actually were. I think the joking about the senior nurse's job was just him being cocky!

I loved the Stevie twist but wanted them to realise.

My lovely DM who has dementia sat there and at the end said 'that was lovely. Would have been more interesting if he died though'. Bless her!

I'm not sure if Charlie is as old as Derek?

I'm glad they didn't kill him off. Loved that he & Josh drove off into the sunset. The final scenes in the ambulance bay must have been genuinely emotional.

End of an era

I think the 37 years is how long he was at Holby not how long he has worked in total.

So it's come full circle

It made me feel really lovely to see Josh. like with Zoe as well.
Josh has aged which obviously is normal but they just always stay the same in your head don't they so it's always a bit of a shock when people get older

feeling bit emotional

According to wiki Charlie was celebrating 35 years as a nurse in series 22 which was 2007/8
So he's been nursing 50 years plus had a pulmonary embolism, been shot, had a massive heart attack and almost drowned before this. No wonder he was reduced to just pressing his lips together and scratching his head in the last few series.
I really hated the Stevie as a child story line. Just too far fetched. The script seemed to have more medical acronyms than ever just to prove... something.

The random never seen before well wishers made me laugh. Who on earth were they and where had they come from. Did like seeing Josh again. And Teddy apologising to Jan

Surely the mix tape suggested they did.

I'm pleased they didn't kill Charlie off.
I watched that sat on the sofa in my childhood home where I watched the very first episode. In that time I've been single, to uni, married, divorced, remarried and had a kid. My dad died and I'm living back in my childhood home.
Nothing as serious as stabbings, bombings and pulmonary embolism, but full circle.

Had we ever seen that level of closeness exhibited between Stevie and Charlie previously? What was shown last night suggested a real bond, inferred to date back to their initial contact in the 80s?

It wasn't quite the 'wow' exit though, was it?

All I could think of as Charlie drove off in the yellow Beetle was, "Is he insured to drive that car? What about the vehicle tax?" which shows how emotionally involved I wasn't.

One thing was missing - stabbed through the liver, on warfarin, and yet no mention of the Major Haemorrhage Protocol.

It’s how long he’s been in Casualty in real time. Probably more a nod to the viewers re how long the series has been running. Barring him coming and going a bit of course.

Oh god he could still pop in and visit couldn't he?? He's done that before

A bit of trivia for you all...

When Charlie was walking out of the hospital at the end , he gave someone a real hug as opposed to an acting hug.

Turns out that was Pete Salt who is a real nurse , who advised on the show and who Derek based Charlie on.

He has an impressive CV !!!

How sweet that he got real screen time !

Yes, he did look genuinely surprised and pleased to see him! Thanks for the explanation.

Aww, that's lovely! I wondered who it was.

I might have cried at the scene with Stevie when he was recovering. Charlie had very red eyes, it must have been genuinely emotional to film it all.

Some of the line up I suspect may be crew members dressed up as a few of them looked quite wobbly lipped too. I too had wondered who the man he hugged was - thank you for clearing that up.