It’s time to say goodbye to The Mill Surgery as BBC Doctors is axed after 24 years, with the final episode airing today (Thursday, November 14).
Sadly, Letherbridge will be no more as the soap finishes for good after a lengthy run on our screens.
But, as Doctors falls victim to a brutal TV axing, should other soaps be worried?
Final BBC Doctors episode airs after brutal axing
Today marks the end of an era and Midlands based medical drama Doctors ends after 24 years on screen.
Despite a fan petition to save the soap receiving 9000 signatures, the soap was unable to be saved.
In October 2023, it was announced that Doctors would be leaving screens permanently in 2024 due to rising drama production costs.
This news left many cast, crew and avid viewers devastated… and whilst they’ve had time to mentally prepare, today still hits hard for many who have held the show close to their heart over the years.
The final episode will air on BBC at 2pm today, titled ‘One Day Like This.’
A celebration show will then follow on the channel – a documentary paying tribute to the fallen soap.
Should other soaps be worried after Doctors axe?
When a soap or drama is axed, it’s always a worry that similar shows may also be at risk.
Before Doctors was axed, Neighbours was axed on Channel 5. However, in Neighbours’ case, the show was later picked up and given a second chance at life by Amazon Freevee.
With dramas becoming costly to run, viewers will no doubt be wondering if EastEnders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks,and Emmerdale will also eventually be affected.
The advantage these soaps have is that they air in primetime television slots. They have all also started airing their episodes early on their streaming apps on the day of their release. This allows for flexible viewing meaning that viewers aren’t restricted to watching during the usual 7pm-9pm soap slots.
With ITVX recently bringing in the approach of early releases, it revealed that streaming for Corrie and Emmerdale has gone up by 30% on the platform in the last year. Both soaps have brought in a total of 300 million streams on the service this year.
With these soaps constantly adapting to the modern era, it’s looking like they might be around on our screens for a while yet.
Read more: Who’s leaving EastEnders in 2024? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One
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