Harry’s Sacked!
The doctor is given his marching orders by hospital bosses…
There are tears all round this week when A&E stalwart Harry Harper bids farewell to his colleagues. After deciding to leak Ruth’s diary to the press, the senior consultant is forced to leave the ward.
‘Harry believes that Ruth’s diary highlights the pressure doctors are under,’ says Simon MacCorkindale, who’s played the doc for six years. ‘But he put his career on the line and he knows he has to go.’ After an emotional goodbye, he visits his old pal Charlie at a private clinic and asks him to return to Holby.
Simon admits it was a difficult decision to leave Casualty. ‘It was tough saying goodbye to people I’ve come to love and respect, and Harry was a great character.’
So, what’s next for the 56-year-old actor? Simon says he’s looking into the possibility of remaking the short-lived 1983 TV series Manimal, which told the story of a crime-fighter who could transform himself into animals.
‘Sadly, the series was canned,’ he says. ‘But it has become something of a cult show around the world. I get as much mail for Manimal as I do for anything else!’