Why is BBC’s Doctors being pulled from the TV schedule? Fans left confused after change
BBC’s Doctors has been running for 23 years now
(Hannah McKay/PA)
/ PA Archiveopular medical drama Doctors has been removed from the broadcaster's schedule for the upcoming months.
The show announced its break on social media this week, and a representative stated it would not return to television until later this year.
It meant that Thursday's episode on BBC One was the last one for a while.
Why is Doctors not being shown?
During the summer, Doctors normally takes a break so that the cast and crew can relax. The show has been running for 23 years now.
Since its inception in 2000, the series has followed the efforts of the medical professionals at the Mill Health Centre and Campus Surgery to save the lives of their patients while juggling their own ups and downs.
When will Doctors be back on TV?
“Doctors will be off air and return to your screens on Monday, September 4,” the official Twitter account announced.
The latest episode saw Emma and Al get on Rosie's bad side, with Zara having some explaining to do.
Things didn’t go so well for Claudia either, when she started working with Rob, she was also embroiled in a family dispute.
What have people said about it?
Most fans on Twitter were not happy with the news.
One furious user commented: “Happily watching @BBCDoctors then it’s announced it’s finished till September Come on guys if you want to be equal to the soaps you really need to put out more programmes #wedontstopworkinginjune!”
While another said: “This is madness!! It’s getting earlier each year? You always used to break in July when Wimbledon started. Why so early? I fear this may be headed for the chop. First 4-day run instead of 5, now ending earlier. Come on @BBCOne sort it out #BBCDoctors”
A third fan commented: “Can’t believe there’s now a break until September! Why? No other soap does this!”
A few users went on to defend the show, stating breaks “let the writers rest and recharge”.
“Breaks are good. They let the writers rest and recharge which means better writing and better stories. Just look at the rubbish the ITV soaps are coming out with rushing out 6 episodes every single week. Quality over quantity.”
Another supporter stated: “Maybe the actors have other commitments like their family or stage shows, or maybe the writers need this time to catch up? I think we forget at times how much work behind the scenes goes into these programmes and other soaps have larger teams, maybe this one is smaller?”