You probably know him as dashing consultant Harry Harper in BBC's Casualty. But actor Simon MacCorkindale has hung up his stethoscope in favour of a life on the road, touring with a production of crime thriller Sleuth. We spoke to him ahead of a stint at Blackpool Grand Theatre.

APPARENTLY, the thriller Sleuth is the sort of play you can't describe without ruining the twist in the plot, so actor Simon MacCorkindale refuses to tell me anything about it, other than to say it's well worth a trip to Blackpool for.

What we do know, however, is that this "dark psychological thriller" was enough to persuade the actor to hand in his notice after six years at Casualty so he could play the part of crime author Andrew Wyke.

"I'd been thinking of getting back to my roots in the theatre for a while," explained MacCorkindale. "Then last year I was given a five month sabbatical from Casualty because of a storyline.

"During the break I was offered a role in the stage revival of Agatha Christie thriller The Unexpected Guest and we toured it for a short time and I really got a taste for it.

"The management of the company asked if I would like to do Sleuth this year, touring it around the UK and then taking it to the West End. I realised I would very much like to do it and on that basis decided I had to say goodbye to Casualty and stretch my wings."

I bet the Casualty bosses regretted giving him that sabbatical in the first place, I offered.

"Yes, I imagine they did," he agreed.

Despite his swift exit, MacCorkindale is full of praise for Casualty - the show which made him a household name.

"I loved my time on Casualty - it's a great show," he said. "And we would take a lot of time and trouble to make in convincing. Learning all that medical terminology, that was the challenge. I used to work very closely with the experts to understand all the correct terminology and what exactly it meant. To make my character believable I felt I needed to truly understand the things I was talking about so I would spend a lot of time researching illnesses and diseases to really understand them."

So is he a health expert now - someone the family turn to to diagnose their symptoms?

"I'm afraid I don't remember a lot of it, unfortunately," he laughed. "My brain managed to remember what I'd learnt for the two hours on TV that I needed and then it fell away. That's what happens when you're an actor. Your brain just doesn't have space for it all."

Of course MacCorkindale isn't just your average actor off the telly.

He has a vast number of acting credits to his name, both TV and film, in the UK and America. He starred in Beasts, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Death on the Nile, Quatermass, Falcon Crest, The Riddle of the Sands and Jaws 3.

He is also an acclaimed television director and producer, and has his own production companies, Anglo Films International and Amy International Artists.

But he isn't snooty about roles and is adamant that even smaller jobs have had their merits.

"I've really enjoyed every job I've had," he said. "I had fantastic time doing Death on the Nile when I was 25 and I enjoyed doing Manimal in California - and Falcon Crest was an amazing time too. I got different things out of each role so it's hard to pinpoint a highlight of my career."

Another love of MacCorkindale's life is horses. He runs an Arabian stud farm near Exmoor with his wife, actress Susan George, to whom he has been married since 1984.

"I don't have much spare time when I'm on tour but when I do I spend it at the stud farm I run with my wife, which is a full-time job in itself."

  • See Simon MacCorkindale in Sleuth, at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday until Saturday, March 15. For tickets call 01253 290190.