The BBC has announced that it will stop production of the daytime medical drama Doctors.
The medical soap opera, about the doctors and staff at a busy Midlands GP practice, is coming to an end after 23 long years. It was launched in 2000.
After running for 23 years, the show had been affected by “super inflation in drama production”, causing costs to rise significantly, the BBC said.
The final episode of Doctors will hit the airwaves in December 2024 and the BBC said it will be working to give the show “the finale it deserves”.
A statement from the BBC said: “We have taken the very difficult decision to bring daytime drama Doctors to an end after 23 years. 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 where the show is made or to relocate it to another home.
“With a flat licence fee, the BBC’s funding challenges mean we have to make tough choices in order to deliver greater value to audiences.
“We remain fully committed to the West Midlands and all of the funding for Doctors will be reinvested into new programming in the region. We would like to thank all the Doctors cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 2000.
“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.”
Doctors currently has a core cast of thirteen regular characters: surgery partners and general practitioners Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) and Nina Bulsara (Wendi Peters); general practitioners Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan), Emma Reid (Dido Miles), Al Haskey (Ian Midlane), Sid Vere (Ashley Rice) and Suni Bulsara (Rahul Arya); consultant midwife Ruhma Carter (Bharti Patel); nurse practitioner Luca McIntyre (Ross McLaren); business manager Bear Sylvester (Dex Lee); receptionists Scarlett Kiernan (Kia Pegg) and Kirsty Millar (Kiruna Stamell) and police sergeant Rob Hollins (Chris Walker).
As well as the regular characters, Doctors also features numerous recurring and guest characters. These currently include nurse Tasha Verma (Maria Pike); receptionist and deputy business manager Rosie Colton (Janice Connolly) and relatives Joe Granger Carmichael (Oliver Falconer), Eve Haskey (Rachel Bell), Tye Vere (Daniel Hill) and Ollie Millar (Isaac Benn).
Several cast and crew members who have worked on the show took to social media to express their sadness.
