BBC axes Holby Blue
- Published: 06 August 2008 13:57
- Author: Rob Shepherd
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- Last Updated: 06 August 2008 13:57
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BBC1's police drama Holby Blue has lost its battle with ITV1 rival The Bill and has been axed.
The Holby City spin-off, which is made by Tony Jordan's indie Red Planet Pictures and Spooks producer Kudos, ran for two seasons.
However, a disappointing average of 3.3m viewers, a 15.4% share, during its last run from March to June this year forced the corporation to pull the plug.
The BBC scheduled the show to go head-to-head with The Bill, but only managed to attract more viewers than the long-running ITV show on one occasion – Holby Blue's first episode.
A source close to BBC drama said senior executives were concerned that the series could undermine the Holby brand.
However, Red Planet Pictures drama executive Claire Phillips said she believed Holby Blue set new standards for 8pm dramas, in terms of production values, storytelling and casting.
"We are extremely proud of the 20 hours of Holby Blue that we produced but the decision has been made not to make a third series," she said. "Red Planet Pictures' focus is now on developing shows which will live up to the high standards set out on Holby Blue."
