The news was announced earlier today (Picture: BBC)

Casualty boss Jon Sen has announced that he will leave his role later this year.

Jon, who previously worked at EastEnders before making the move to Casualty, shared the news on his Twitter, confirming the end of his time on the medical drama.

He wrote: ‘With a heavy heart, I’m leaving @BBCCasualty later this year. It’s been amazing & hv loved every minute working with creative minds and superb talent. But new horizons beckon. Thanks for the wonderful support we have received over the past two years.’

Jon has worked on and off at the show for many years but most recently, his time as Executive Producer has seen Casualty pick up multiple awards.

He has also implemented a format change for each series, introduced many new characters and welcomed back some Holby City favourites including Donna (Jaye Jacobs), Sacha (Bob Barrett) and Eli (Davood Ghadami).

Jon will also oversee Charlie Fairhead’s final storyline on the show, after it was confirmed Derek Thompson will leave the role.

Appearing in nearly 900 episodes, Derek is Casualty’s longest-serving cast member and has played a central part in the show since it launched in 1986.

Derek will be filming until the autumn, and his final scenes as Charlie will air next year after a gripping final storyline.

Charlie has been part of the show since the very beginning (Picture: BBC)

Zoe will be back for Charlie’s departure (Picture: BBC)

Discussing the departure, Jon said: ‘Derek and I would often joke that, after such a long and dramatic career in the NHS, there was almost nothing that Charlie hadn’t seen. So it was an amazing surprise to me when Derek arrived with a brilliant idea for Charlie’s exit as part of an upcoming storyline, which was too good to pass up. We will all miss Derek enormously.’

‘Over nearly four decades, Derek has crafted an iconic character who is woven into the fabric of British TV history. We will miss his craft, his humour and his on-screen presence. We’re also going to miss a friend, so for the next few months we’re going to have a ball filming Charlie’s final chapter.’

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Back at the start of September, it was confirmed Sunetra Sarker will reprise her role as Doctor Zoe Hanna for Charlie’s final episodes.

During an episode of ITV’s Loose Women, she said: ‘I’m going back for a special double episode because our lovely Charlie who has been there forever is going to leave the show. So I’m going back to make sure I get my last little moment with him.’

Casualty is off air currently, with a BBC spokesperson revealing the show is taking a break due to the busy Autumn schedule, but will return later this year.

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He will leave later this year.