Doctors final episode to air early as BBC confirm when axed show will end
The date the final episode of Doctors will air has now been confirmed by the BBC. The hit medical drama has been axed after first beginning back in 2000 and will soon be taken off-air for good. The final episode of Doctors will air one month earlier than expected, it has been revealed.
When it was announced that Doctors had been axed back in October 2023, the BBC said the last episode would be set to air in December 2024. However, it's now been revealed that the last instalment of the soap will land on TV screens on Thursday, 14 November.
Announcing the axing of Doctors last night, the BBC said in a statement: "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.
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"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.”
Filming for Doctors, which took place in Birmingham, ended back in March. The show first began airing in March 2000 and was set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge.
Doctors traditionally aired in BBC One's lunchtime slot since it began in 2000, but in February 2022 the soap was promoted to the 7pm slot on BBC Two after Holby City was axed. However, ratings failed to pick up despite the new slot and after eight weeks Doctors returned to airing at lunchtimes on BBC One.
To begin with, only 41 episodes of Doctors were commissioned but after a largely positive reception, the BBC ordered it as a continuing soap opera. It was initially filmed at Pebble Mill Studios before moving to the BBC Drama Village in Birmingham in 2004.
Doctors is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
