From Mark Sweeney in
Media Guardian:
Long-running 1960s police drama Heartbeat has become the latest casualty of the media advertising recession, with ITV shelving production of a new series as it seeks to cut programming costs.
ITV confirmed today that Heartbeat, first broadcast in 1992, and spin-off hospital drama The Royal will not be recommissioned after the current production cycle is complete later this year.
The broadcaster was not able to say when or if Heartbeat and The Royal would go back into production, putting the future of both shows in doubt.
Update (29.01.09): According to
BBC News, ITV insists that Heartbeat has not been cancelled.
It is understood that by the end of the year more than a series worth of shows will have been made and ITV wants to broadcast them before making new ones.
But the channel insisted the show was still an important part of its schedule amid reports it is to be axed.
Speaking strictly as a watcher of television, I knew this recession had its upsides.
ReplyDeleteHeartbeat and The Royal have made millions of people happy, which is more than this current government is doing!
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with the accident on the Heartbeat set this week then?
ReplyDeleteNot at all likely -- nobody in UK television responds that fast.
ReplyDelete