After 23 years on UK screens, the BBC’s Doctors is set to end in 2024 amidst “super inflation in drama production”. More below:
One of not just the BBC, but the UK’s longest-running dramas is set to end in December 2024, the corporation have announced, citing problems with funding directly linked to the license fee.
“With a flat license-fee, the BBC’s funding challenges mean we have to make tough choices in order to deliver greater value to audiences,” the BBC said in a statement. “With super inflation in drama production, the cost of the programme has increased significantly, and further investment is also now required to refurbish the site.”
“We know the crucial role Doctors has played in nurturing talent, and we will work to develop new opportunities to support skills in scripted programming.”
Read more: As Hollywood strikes near their conclusion, UK crews are still suffering
First broadcast on 26 March 2000, the daytime soap has kept us company throughout almost the entirety of the 21st century so far. In the process, Doctors became one of the longest-running shows on UK TV.
The news comes at a tough old time for the industry as a whole – last week, crew workers’ union Bectu took to Leicester Square to highlight the problems TV and film crews are facing as a result of the US actors strikes. The BBC, meanwhile, has been struggling with its increasingly squeezed budget for some time. With shows like Doctors often cited as “a training ground” or a right of passage for many actors, writers and crews, the kind of high-output programming which plays a crucial part in getting telly makers up to snuff is increasingly being put at risk.
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