Soap crisis after BBC cancels Doctors leaving futures of other fan favourite shows hanging by a thread
STARS and staff across all of TV’s soapland are worried sick for their futures, following the axing of Doctors today.
Amid what was described as “super inflation in drama production”, the BBC said it could simply no longer afford to make the lunchtime favourite.
Hundreds of people will be made redundant when, after 23 years on the air, the TV surgery closes its doors next year.
But the tremors are being felt far beyond the fictional town of Letherbridge, with many fearing the news sounds the death knell for other well-known soaps.
Breaking the news to staff at the BBC’s Drama Village in Birmingham on Wednesday, boss Kate Oates said they could no longer balance the books as the licence fee remained flat while production costs continued to rise.
It perhaps came as little surprise in a year of seismic change across soaps.
READ MORE ON SOAPS
Last month, Channel 4 pulled the plug on Hollyoaks, with the once-trendy soap now to be viewed mainly online.
It came at the same time Neighbours relaunched on little-watched platform Amazon Freevee following its exit from Channel 5 in March last year.
Fellow Aussie soap Home And Away no longer airs in the evenings.
And the shockwaves have extended to serial dramas too, with the BBC slashing the number of episodes it will produce of long-running medical saga Casualty - following Holby City’s last-ever episode last year.
Most read in Soaps
Only the “big three” - EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale - remain in their spots.
But the loss of Doctors will have a major impact on Britain’s acting industry, with the production employing at least 800 contractors a year as guest actors.
Our soaps being on the ropes needs to be taken seriously.
Once the central pillars of TV schedules, how did they end up first on the chopping block when channels need to address their bottom line?
Fingers of blame immediately point to falling ratings but that is not the whole story.
Doctors remained surprisingly buoyant at an average of 1.3million viewers, an impressive number for a lunchtime slot.
The big three still command a daily, live audience of around ten million between them - another robust statistic in a world where only really Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and hallmark dramas such as Happy Valley pull in more than five million overnight viewers.
That is before you add those who catch up online, with recent figures suggesting that EastEnders adds at least another two million fans to the standard two million who watch it live each night.
The BBC’s statement on axing Doctors provided a crucial clue.
‘Overhauls critical’
Kate Oates said: “With further investment required to make fit the Doctors’ site, or to relocate it to another home, continuing with the show is no longer affordable for the daytime budget.”
We can blame the invention of HD cameras for that one.
The hi-tech kit might promise glorious technicolour for viewers but has spelt disaster for the creaky sets that were hanging on with sticky tape meaning entire overhauls became critical.
The hi-tech kit might promise glorious Technicolor for viewers but it has spelt disaster for the creaky sets that were hanging together with sticky tape, meaning entire overhauls became critical.
The Beeb spent £87million on a spangly new plot for EastEnders, but could not justify that use of precious licence fee payers’ cash to save Doctors.
It could be argued that soaps could be streamlined, with fewer episodes or more focus on storylines than big set-pieces.
Do we really need huge Hollywood-style explosions, tram crashes or ‘super storms’ like that seen on Emmerdale?
Sadly, the answer is yes.
With the likes of Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney producing increasingly high-quality dramas with mega budgets, slick special effects and acting talent far beyond the capabilities of Walford, the Dales, or Corrie’s cobbles, it’s understandable viewers are demanding the same from the UK’s terrestrial services.
We’ve all become used to big-screen action on our small screens.
But it surely can’t all be down to viewers to adjust our expectations.
With the big three now the sole survivors of the bubble burst, how can bosses shore up the soaps that so many viewers still love?
The Sun’s Soaps Editor, Carl Greenwood, reckons in fact more cuts could save the day.
He said: “Despite the obvious challenges, Corrie and Emmerdale remain the biggest shows on British telly.
“EastEnders has undergone a huge revamp under new boss Chris Clenshaw and, yes, it really is back to its best.
“EastEnders’ The Six flashforward storyline has had Britain talking in a way we’ve not seen for years now, proving soaps can cling on to relevancy.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“Moving into 2024, the only way ITV and BBC can shore up their soaps is by axing the deadwood - there are too many characters for viewers to really care about.
“Though this may be harsh on the actors involved, it would surely offer those ailing budgets a welcome boost too.”
A START FOR BIG STARS
FOR any budding actor, a bit part on Doctors was far from a forgettable footnote on their CV.
Instead, the lunchtime soap proved to be “the waiting room” for Britain’s acting royalty, launching the careers of a string of award-winning talent.
As well as becoming the first reputable rung on the ladder for many, it was also considered a space for once-famous folk to make appearances to boost their profile or shift their careers back up a gear.
As such, Doctors’ alumni include an array of our biggest stars.
Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne was 21 when he appeared in a 2003 episode and has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s leading men.
Power-player Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s first TV role was on Doctors in 2009, while Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer had just a few credits to her name when she featured in 2012.
The Crown’s Claire Foy joined Doctors in 2008 for an early acting role before stealing the show as Queen Elizabeth II for Netflix.
Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke was part of the cast for an episode in 2009.
And Nicholas Hoult – most recently seen in The Great – cut his teeth on Doctors before shooting to fame alongside Hugh Grant in 2002’s About A Boy.
Elsewhere, everyone from Sheridan Smith, Brian Blessed, Richard Armitage and Kym Marsh have all made appearances.
Former Corrie and Emmerdale star Tracy Brabin also once featured.
In a soap-worthy twist, she is now mayor of West Yorkshire.
