TV
Times (South) 11 - 17 January 2003
THE FIRES GO OUT ON LONDON'S BURNING
ITV1's
long running show London's Burning is being axed in its current
form after 14 years of service.
The fire - fighting drama will probably return at the end of
2003, but it will be unrecognisable to fans, with different
characters and possibly even a new name. It could spell the end
for well - known characters such as George Green, played by Glen
Murphy, and Sally Fields (Heather Peace).
Nick Elliot, ITV1's controller of network drama, says: 'London's
Burning will probably become Fire, Fire or something. We're
talking about doing a different fire show.'
The new series may not even be set in London, as bosses aim to
inject life into a show that has seen its audience ratings crash
from 16 million at its peak to under 5 million.
Talks are going on within ITV to finalise details of the revamp,
but bosses have a firm belief that the lives of fire - fighters
still make good drama.
Nick suggests that spending more money on the show wasn't the
answer. 'To be honest, we probably spent too much money on it
because it's shot in London.'
London's Burning used to be a cornerstone of ITV1's winter
schedule, but it was relegated to the less popular summer season
in 2002.
It seems the series is following the same course as Peak
Practice, which was axed last year after a 10 - year run, but it
is to be replaced by a similar medical drama, Sweet Medicine.
Sources even suggest that other long - running shows, such as
Heartbeat, could face the chop or, at least, a revamp.
But these reports seem way off the mark, with Heartbeat currently
attracting more than 10 million viewers.
ITV, though, is showing that it's not willing to carry failing
series, no matter how long they've been on.