Casualty bosses are said to be hoping Barney

Walsh will fill the void left by Derek Thompson’s departure.

The Gladiators host, 26, joined the BBC cast last

year as nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite. His character

found it hard to adjust to the busy emergency department. Fans have been left devasated as Derek’s character Charlie Fairhead finally departed the accident and emergency department after almost four decades.

Derek had been a star on the soap since it started back in 1986. Viewers feared he would die

after being stabbed by a drug dealer, but thankfully he survived and promptly retired. It followed claims Derek’s soap fate was sealed because his salary was too high to be justified following reports he earned between £349,999 and £399,999 a year.

It has since been claimed Barney will help fill the void by Derek, as Cameron will be offered bigger storylines. BBC bosses are said to believe he could help pull in younger viewers. A BBC insider told the Daily Mail: “Charlie was a bit of a rubbish nurse when he first arrived, as is Cam, which is why this makes it all such a lovely idea from the bosses. They think that turning Cam into the ‘face of the nurses’ in lieu of Charlie is a no-brainer. His popularity has soared so much since Gladiators so it would mean he would be given bigger storylines and he would be used more, to stop anyone else grabbing him.”