Exclusive: 'Doctors' regular quits surgery

Doctors regular Stephen Boxer has quit his medical role after almost two years to return to his theatre roots with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The 59-year-old's character, Dr Joe Fenton, will exit the daytime soap in a storyline which sees his on-screen daughter, Emily, diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition. Joe decides that he should be with his family and returns to Boston, leaving his colleagues and friends at the surgery terribly upset.

Doctors' senior producer Peter Lloyd told DS: "We're all extremely sad that Stephen has left us at Doctors. He is a fantastic actor who brought a great deal of character and warmth to Dr Joe.

"We've always been very lucky on this show with how professional, dedicated and down-to-earth our cast is and Stephen has certainly been no exception. He will be sorely missed but we all wish him the very best and can't wait to see him in action at the RSC!"

Boxer, who has played Joe Fenton since 2006, finished filming with the Birmingham-based series on Wednesday, January 23, and will appear on screen until Friday, April 4, when his last episode, titled 'All In A Name', transmits.

> Click here to see our gallery of upcoming soap departures