BBC Doctors: Series set to be axed after 23 years due to ‘rising costs’ - cast members who made it big

The BBC is set to axe popular daytime soap Doctors after 23 years, citing rising costs to keep the show running. Premiered in 2000, the long-running medical drama, centres around doctors and staff at a busy Midlands GP practice, will now have its final episode aired in December 2024, with the BBC promising “the finale it deserves”. The broadcaster said it has now become too expensive to make the show, which would need either investment to refurbish the sets or to be relocated.

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

Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004, before relocating to BBC Drama Village, also in Birmingham. It has been nominated for five Baftas in its history, as well as a raft of British Soap Awards. At the 2023 British Soap Awards it was nominated for best British soap and eight other prizes and won the gong for best on-screen partnership for Jan Pearson as Karen Hollins and Chris Walker as Rob Hollins.

BBC Doctors cast who made their names in Hollywood

Doctors has served as a launching pad for the careers of a number of Hollywood's most recognisable actors and actresses who have appeared as guest stars on the programme. Some of them include:

• Emilia Clarke: The 35-year-old made her TV debut on Doctors as a fresh-faced schoolgirl, which she later revealed that it was done in just one take. She is now more known for her role in Game of Thrones as the Dragon Queen, Daenerys Targaryen. 
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge: The 35-year-old Fleabag star made an appearance on Doctors in 2009. She also helped write hit series Killing Eve and James Bond: No Time To Die.
• Eddie Redmayne: The 40-year-old actor starred in Doctors in 2003. Since then, he has played starring roles in Les Misérables and the Danish Girl, and was the face of Newt Scamander in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts film series. He also won an Oscar for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything.