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Heartbeat and Wire in the blood will vanish from our screens
Sri Carmichael4 Mar 2009
ITV's decision to slash funding and jobs will see the demise of some of the broadcaster's most popular shows.
Wire In The Blood starring Robson Green is a high-profile casualty.
Heartbeat and The Royal will also disappear from our screens.
The South Bank Show and Sharpe, the Napoleonic war drama, are under serious threat and face significant cutbacks. ITV has already scrapped a multi-million-pound adaptation of EM Forster's A Passage to India and announced that A Touch of Frost will end later this year when David Jason retires from the lead role.
It is thought Emmerdale will still be filmed at its purpose-built set on the Harewood estate near Leeds, although some staff based there may be lost. ITV is expected to focus funding on its Manchester Quay Street site, home to Coronation Street, although insiders say it is not immune from cuts.
Some fear that an adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontė completed last year could be the last period drama ITV ever produces. It has not yet been given a transmission date.
Wire In The Blood was billed as a star vehicle for one of the channel's top stars, Robson Green. But each episode cost £750,000 to make and was deemed too expensive.
The broadcaster recently streamlined its regional news operation, with bulletins now made for larger areas.
Reader views (6)
Why would ITV decide to keep such utter trash TV such as Emmerdale and Coronation Street? These 'popular' 'dramas' are SO far removed from reality they border being complete an utter jokes. I personally can think of NOTHING worse then a night in front of BBC and ITV soaps. Now.... I have always been massive fans of ITV Dramas. I have always praised ITV for the quality of programmes such as Wire in the Blood and Lewis and all the other dramas that actually border on short film quality. Now without these programmes to watch and my TV being filled with low budget brain numbing trash I really don't see why I should bother having a TV. Bad move ITV.
- Zoe Nicholls, Essex, 20/03/2009 11:40
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What a pity that they are proposing to cut some very popular and enjoyable series. No doudt Sharp was seen as bad example of compliance with Health and Safety policy and Heartbeat was deemed insufficiently diverse.
I suppose that, following the next election, we are going to be left watching Celebrity Big Brother starring most of the present cabinet who will deservedly be out of a job.
- Martin Fielding, London, England, 04/03/2009 15:22
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Sounds like dumbing down to me
- David, Worcester,England, 04/03/2009 13:44
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I didn't give a monkey's when the bankers' greed led to share wipe-outs and City job losses or gave the Tories a better lead in the opinion polls, but now they are hitting at the very fibre of our society. TV without Heartbeat...it's unthinkable, like Russell Brand without sleaze
- Concerned, Caerleon, South Wales, 04/03/2009 13:37
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As long as they don't touch Corrie, I'm fine with losing all the others. Shame about 'Passage to India' though. Maybe if they reduced some top presenters/execs salaries, they could finance this production at least.
- Suzyq, Essex, 04/03/2009 12:48
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They won't disappear, there will just be many more 'opportunities to see again!'
- Paul, London, 04/03/2009 09:44
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