[ScottishTVGuy]

BBC says: "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.
"The final episode will screen in December 2024 and we are working closely with BBC Studios to give it the finale it deserves."

www.bbc.co.uk 

Doctors
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  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

[James2001]

BBC cuts really biting now .

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

BBC cuts really biting now .

With none of them resulting in ''better value for money''.

[Keith]

It's noticeable that they're making it clear the licence fee being frozen for the past two years was a significant factor, along with the need to refurbish the existing site. I dare say it's a warning to politicians in case they're thinking about freezing the licence fee any more, or allowing a below inflation increase.

I wonder if they may be tempted to give River City a daytime network airing, even if it's a week behind it's premier on BBC Scotland and BBC One Scotland. Would potentially be a relatively cheaper filler, given that it's already being made.

[Alf Stewart]

Thinking about it there's part of me that's not surprised by this news. The series never returned to five days a week following Covid and a number of the regular cast have left this past year, but the show really has been a shadow of its former self recently. It's a shame for those who work on the show and of course another nail in the coffin for drama production in the Midlands. Hopefully the Drama Village will continue to make network drama production like Father Brown.

[Milkshake]

I'm not surprised its been axed, it just felt this soap was more concerned about being progressive than making good drama. Its possible to do both but Doctors has been falling at this for some time.

Better question is what will fill the gap? Could we see further programmes axed? From January 2025 will BBC One be overhauled?

[eyeTV]

It might make way for an extended News at One.

[Milkshake]

It might make way for an extended News at One.

I thought that was coming in sooner? has that now been pushed back for another 18 months?

[DTV]

I thought that was coming in sooner? has that now been pushed back for another 18 months?

I'm not sure the original info ever put a timeline on the proposed changes to Breakfast and the News at One, with it being more of a medium-term proposal. Would make sense, though, for this all to come in one package.

[Spencer]

I do hope the final episode will be titled ‘The Ties That Bind’.