ITV Loses its Heartbeat

heartbeatITV has announced it is axing both Heartbeat and spin-off The Royal, to cut costs. The credit crunch claims its latest victim? Or maybe after 18 series, the police drama had just grown stale? Either way, it’s going to leave a gaping hole in ITV’s schedule.

The drama was a staple show in ITV’s programming but falling ratings, combined with the fact that reality TV shows such as Dancing on Ice are pulling in more viewers, means that it’s time to call it a day at Ashfordly’s favourite police station. Thankfully, fans will still be able to catch completed episodes until well into next year. This trend is a bit worrying though, considering the other long-running police show on ITV is The Bill and even that has scaled down production recently to save money. Let’s hope Sun Hill can stay open for business a little longer!