Why has Holby City been cancelled? After 23 seasons on air, the BBC has confirmed that hospital drama will come to an end in 2022.
Why is Holby City being cancelled? BBC medical drama Holby City is coming to an end after TV bosses announced that the long-standing programme which has run for 23 seasons will cease production in 2022.
The news comes as a shock to some TV licence payers, as many are surprised to see the long-standing drama, which continued filming through lockdown measures, come to an end, and a petition has even been set up begging for a U-turn on the decision, which has already got thousands of signatures.
Why has Holby City been cancelled?
Holby City has been cancelled in order “to reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country”, according to an official statement released by the BBC.
The statement reads, ‘We are incredibly proud of Holby City but it’s with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year.
‘We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBC’s commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team at BBC Studios and all the cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 1999.’
When is the last episode of Holby City?
Fans have been assured that Holby City will continue to be aired on BBC One every Tuesday until March 2022.
The BBC added, ‘Holby has been a stalwart with audiences, delighting millions of viewers each week and winning hundreds of awards with a compelling mix of cutting edge medical stories and explosive personal stories.
‘We look forward to working with the team over the coming months to ensure that when it ends, Holby goes out on a high.”
We’re very sorry to bring you the sad news that Holby City will come to an end in March next year, after 23 amazing years. We are so very grateful to all of Holby’s wonderful cast, crew, writers, producers – and to our millions of loyal viewers and fans for being part of our show
— BBC Holby City (@BBCHolbyCity) June 2, 2021
But fans still cannot believe the show is being axed and have set up a petition to say don’t scrap Holby City which has collected more than 41,000 signatures so far.
And the current episodes being aired are gripping the nation, as Cameron and his mum Bernie are discovered to be still alive and two characters Ethan and Ian making a return in a few weeks.
One fan tweeted, ‘Just caught up on this weeks @BBCHolbyCity OMG!!! What a comeback for them both… So why exactly are the @BBC scraping such an awesome, nail biting, award winning show?! #saveholbycity #HolbyCity’
Another unhappy fan tweeted, ‘Still can’t understand Holby City being cancelled. It makes 0 sense.’
And a third fan added, ‘Catching up on #HolbyCity and the last two episodes were EPIC!! Disgraced Doctor Cameron Dunn faked his death and then went on the run, whilst at large he planted a bomb in the hospital and if that’s not enough excitement his mum Bernie Wolfe isn’t actually dead like we thought.’
And more gripping drama is expected after the BBC shared a teaser clip of what is yet to come…
Coming soon… #HolbyCity pic.twitter.com/3eSYt0EaWz
— BBC Holby City (@BBCHolbyCity) August 31, 2021
Where is Holby City filmed?
Holby City is filmed in Borehamwood at the Elstree Studios. Located just north of London, the set includes a surgical ward and operating theatre. But over the years, there have been some Holby City episodes shot abroad on location.
As a spin-off show to Casualty, medical researchers are employed by the drama to verify script accuracy to make the show more realistic.
The first series of Holby City averaged 9.27 million viewers and an episode is estimated to cost in the region £370,000 to produce. One episode runs each week over the course of a year.
Ms McGerry is here for preventative surgery after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. It's a big decision to make… 💙 #HolbyCity HR pic.twitter.com/gfLQ9ojNbb
— BBC Holby City (@BBCHolbyCity) June 1, 2021
The drama follows the everyday lives, professional and personal, of the doctors, nurses and patients who find themselves, for various reasons, in the wards of the frenetic cardiac unit of Holby City General Hospital.
The unit is run by the autocratic Consultant Surgeon Anton Meyer (played by George Irving) assisted by arrogant sidekick Registrar Nick (played by Michael French) who find themselves in a continuous running battle with Consultant Muriel McKendrick (played by Phyllis Logan) over beds with the rest of the staff caught in the cross-fire.
Meanwhile, when the show first started out in 1999, it began with eleven main characters in its first series, all of whom have since left the show. New main characters have been both written in and out since, with a core of around fifteen main actors employed at any given time. In casting the first series, co-creator Mal Young sought actors who were already well known in the television industry, something which has continued throughout its history, with cast members including Patsy Kensit, Jane Asher, Robert Powell, Ade Edmondson and John Michie.