Devastated Holby City fans are all saying the same thing as iconic drama comes to an end

DEVASTATED Holby City fans couldn't bear to watch tonight's final ever episode - because they weren't ready to say goodbye.

It was a tearjerker from the start, with show legend Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) telling fellow stalwart Alex 'Fletch' Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) that she was making an advanced decision to refuse treatment after her failed brain tumour operation.

The cancer-stricken medic was exhausted from the pain of her condition and feared further complications.

Not long after, she suffered a fatal stroke as her colleagues tearfully, and in Sacha Levy's case reluctantly, accepted her decision.

Her organs were donated and helped save multiple patients, securing her legacy.

Viewers were in floods of tears throughout the episode and some even refused to tune in altogether as they struggled to come to terms with the BBC's decision to axe the show after 23 years.

One wrote on Twitter: "I can't even watch the last episode tonight... I have no idea what the BBC was thinking getting rid of it... one of the best things on TV!! All us Holby fans are in mourning..."

Another posted: "I’ve made myself run behind on Holby because I don’t want it to end - so I’ve got a few unwatched weeks to go and I’m not emotionally stable enough for the ending tonight."

A third said: "Can't remember a time in my life when I didn'twatchHolby City, ridiculous decision, Jac Naylor you queen."

The episode ended with a powerful and moving tribute to the NHS, praising all the crucial, life-saving work its staff do against a backdrop of under funding and under staffing.