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Here's how the tabloids reported the news that PP had been axed
Peak Practice is struck off
ITV1 medical drama Peak Practice's life support system has been turned off after
10 years.
TV bosses axed it after deciding it had run out of steam.
However, they have decided to make Sweet Medicine, a new 10-part drama about a
family of doctors. It will be filmed in the Peak District, near where Peak
Practice was set.
A spokeswoman said: "It will be made by the same team as PP. It is a kind of
spin-off."
ITV1 bosses see Sweet Medicine as a natural successor to Peak Practice. Drama
controller Nick Elliott said: "It is an exciting and natural progression from
Peak Practice. The 10-part series will be made in 2003."
Carlton drama director Jonathan Powell added: "We felt the time was right for a
fresh start in a new environment, a contemporary rural series that combines the
charm of the countryside and compelling medicine."
An ITV1 spokeswoman said: "It is being replaced by Sweet Medicine as we wanted a
fresh look. The format of Peak Practice is very good but it needed a new set of
characters to give it a new interest."
Original cast member Simon Shepherd returned to the show last year as GP Will
Preston but, despite ratings of a healthy 6.7m, it could not escape the chop.
ITV1 chiefs have denied that Sweet Medicine is a rip-off of BBC1's successful
new GP drama Born And Bred.
The series set in '50s Lancashire, with James Bolam and Michael French as father
and son GPs, has given the BBC a big ratings boost with 9m viewers. A second
series is planned.
An ITV1 spokeswoman said: "Sweet Medicine is about a family practice but it is
contemporary and is nothing like Born And Bred."
The last series of Peak Practice was a terminal case compared to its heyday,
when it drew more than 12m viewers.
The Lucy Gannon-created drama was an instant success when it began in 1992. It
starred Amanda Burton, Kevin Whately and Simon Shepherd.
Its replacement, Sweet Medicine, is about husband and wife GPs Nicholas and
Deborah Sweet who swap London for Derbyshire after the death of his father.
No-one has yet been cast for the roles.
Teletext -
Read the Article on Teletext's website
Peak Practice to be replaced by another medical drama
Peak Practice has been dropped after 10 years.
ITV bosses have decided to ditch the medical drama despite viewing figures of
around 6.7 million for the last series which ended in January.
It will be replaced with another medical drama based in the Peak District.
The stars of the programme are said to be extremely disappointed by the news.
A spokeswoman for Carlton said the show was looking tired after 12 series and a
joint decision had been taken with ITV not to recommission it.
Its replacement, Sweet Medicine, will have the same setting and the same subject
matter but will be based around a family practice.
The main characters will be husband and wife GPs Nicholas and Deborah Sweet, who
leave their London surgery to take over his father's practice in rural
Derbyshire after his death.
The series follows their attempts to transform the sleepy practice into a
cutting-edge health centre, in the face of opposition from Nicholas' formidable
mother Georgina.
The spokeswoman said: "We wanted a new series but obviously people do like
medical dramas and the Peak District area is a great setting."
Production will start on the new series, which is being developed by Peak
Practice's executive producer Sharon Bloom, next year.
Ananova -
Read
the article on Ananova's website
Peak Practice treats its last patient
ITV's Peak Practice has been axed after a decade but its successor, another
medical drama set in the Peak District, has already been commissioned.
The future of the series had been in doubt for some time. In recent months, hit
shows such as Spooks and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet have enabled the BBC to take ITV's
place as the home of popular drama.
Peak Practice, along with Heartbeat and London's Burning, enjoyed considerable
success during the 90s but ITV chiefs now realise they must reinvigorate the
schedules with fresh ideas.
Although the last series of Peak Practice gained respectable average viewing
figures of around 6.7 millon, ITV and the show's producer, Carlton, have decided
to bring the show to a close.
Peak Practice was first screened in 1992 and originally starred Kevin Whately,
Amanda Burton and Simon Shepherd.
The three actors moved on to other projects but Shepherd returned for the 10th
series. He was joined by Maggie O'Neill and Gray O'Brien, who played as his
fellow doctors, while the former Coronation Street star Eva Pope played a
psychotic nurse.
The show's replacement, Sweet Medicine, is being developed by the Peak Practice
executive producer, Sharon Bloom.
The series is unlikely to win any awards for originality. The main characters
will be husband and wife GPs Nicholas and Deborah Sweet, who leave their London
surgery to take over his father's practice in rural Derbyshire after his death.
The series will follow their attempts to transform the sleepy practice into a
hi-tech health centre in the face of opposition from Nicholas's formidable
mother, Georgina.
"Peak Practice gets good viewing figures but we decided it was time to move on.
It has been going for nearly 10 years and we needed to take a fresh look at
things," said a Carlton spokeswoman.
Media Guardian -
Read
the article on Media Guardian's website
No
more Peak Practice-ing in North Staffs
There's disappointment in the North Staffordshire village of Longnor after it
was announced the TV series Peak Practice is to be scrapped.
Recent runs of the programme were filmed in and around the village, and the cast
and crew used local shops, pubs and hotels. It also attracted tourists.
Channel bosses have decided to ditch PP despite healthy viewing figures of
around 6.7 million for the last series which ended in January. The stars of Peak
Practice, which focuses on three doctors working in a rural GP surgery, are said
to be extremely disappointed by the news.
Practice not perfect
But a spokeswoman for Carlton said the show was looking tired after 12 series
and a joint decision had been taken with ITV not to recommission it. "Peak
Practice gets good viewing figures but we decided it was time to move on. It has
been going for nearly ten years and we felt we needed to take a fresh look at
things. "I am sure the cast are disappointed but any actor knows that no series
lasts forever," she said.
Peak Practice was first screened in 1992 and originally starred Kevin Whately,
Amanda Burton and Simon Shepherd. All three actors moved on to other things but
Shepherd returned for the 10th series and was joined by Maggie O'Neill and Gray
O'Brien as his fellow doctors, with former Coronation Street star Eva Pope
playing a psychotic nurse.
Don't despair though folks...
Carlton are planning to replace it with yet another medical drama based in the
Peak District. The replacement, Sweet Medicine, will have the same setting and
the same subject matter but will be based around a family practice. The
spokeswoman said: "We wanted a new series but obviously people do like medical
dramas and the Peak District area is a great setting."
Production will start on the new series, which is being developed by Peak
Practice's executive producer Sharon Bloom, next year.
BBC Stoke -
Read the article on the BBC website
Read Teletext's article on how
the Peak Practice fans tried to save the show
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