Holby City will come to an end on BBC One this month, it’s been confirmed.
It was announced last year that the long running medical drama would conclude after more than 20 years on TV.
Now the BBC has revealed the air date of the last ever episode will be on Tuesday, 29 March.
In a statement last summer, the show announced: “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
“This tough decision reflects the BBC’s commitment to make more programmes across the UK and to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.
“Holby will remain on air on Tuesdays until next March, and we will continue to bring you a regular dose of all things Holby right here until then.
“We promise that Holby will get the send-off it deserves. Thank you for your continued support and love for the series.”
The BBC addedin a statement: “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.
“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.”
Fans have understandably reacted angrily to the news, with a petition calling for the show to be saved getting 10,000 signatures already.
Seán Gleeson, Series Producer said: “All of us at Holby have been overwhelmed and touched by the response to the announcement that this current series will be our last.
“We want to reassure our fans, colleagues and our Holby family, that we have every intention of making sure the next 9 months are the most entertaining Holby yet and that we go out strong.”
You can watch the latest episodes of Holby online via the BBC iPlayer here.
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