The continuing drama series BBC Doctors is to close after 23 years – a terrible loss to the UK writing community and to audiences. The closure of another drama series following the cancellation of Holby City two years ago leaves a big hole in the drama slate and in the pockets of Doctors writers, some of whom have written for the show for years (read our statement).

We have been talking to the BBC about writers who have been affected by the closure of Doctors, plus the treatment of writers on continuing drama in general, as we believe there is lots of work to be done in this area. We’ll be talking to our sister entertainment unions, too, and planning further campaigning activity.

What you can do:

• Sign the petition – set up by fans, which praises the programme for tackling many challenging issues and for highlighting the pressures faced by the NHS.
• If you are a Doctors writer who has been affected, you can contact casework@writersguild.org.uk for support and advice.
• If you’d like to get involved in future campaigning activity around writers on continuing drama, drop a line to john@writersguild.org.uk

BBC West Midlands Rep Tim Stimpson spoke to BBC Midlands Today about the closure of BBC Doctors and the impact on the region, on 30 October 2023