Bad Girls Axed!

MediaGuardian.co.uk

ITV is set to axe prison drama Bad Girls following a slump in the show's television ratings.
Simon Shaps, the ITV director of television, is weighing up the future of the programme, which is made by Shed Productions, the company behind Footballers' Wives.
In an email to the ITV controller of drama, Laura Mackie, leaked to Broadcast magazine, Mr Shaps said he planned to drop Bad Girls at the end of its current, eighth series.
The show has been a big hit over the years for ITV.
Five years ago, Bad Girls pulled in audiences of more than 8 million, but it has been ailing recently in its 9pm Thursday slot with ratings hovering around 4 million.
"It was helpful to prepare the ground with Shed when we axed Footballers' Wives," Mr Shaps said.
It has also emerged that Shed is developing a script for ITV for a new series, Rock Rivals, about warring record producers.
"I'm sure [Shed is] not seeing this as a replacement for Bad Girls though, so agree we need to take a view on how to manage their expectations," Ms Mackie wrote in an email reply to Mr Shaps.
However, ITV said no decision on Bad Girls would be made before the end of the current series next month.

So how is "Bad Girls Axed" when you say that no decision has been made?

Also, I read on BBCi that Simons email to the woman said "Should we announce Bad Girls has been axed"

Well I wouldn't mind if it was axed as they dragged it on abit too long. I was an fan of the show until the storyline when down the bog hole.

This story is a few days old by the way, it hasn't been axed yet

was'nt this last week's news?

But wasn't posted on the forum. If it was axed it wouldn't be on ITV1 on Thursday which it is so far.

Yeah, it is a bit of old news but nobody had posted it so I thought I'd post it for those fans that were unaware

Im not surprised they are considering axing it really. Firstly they axed Footballers Wives which is made by the same company, and Bad Girls isnt anywhere near as good as it once was.

For me it went downhill when they killed off Yvonne Atkins then when Fenner was axed the show had nothing left.

It didn't help that Di Barker was axed - no mention whatsoever of her fate in the current series (and so far, just one mention of Fenner). But she wasn't the only long-standing character to disappear - too much new blood replacing the old guard (pun not intended!)

Mind you, that's exactly what ITV wanted - apparently they ordered major changes this series after a slump in ratings last year. When that happens, you know Bad Girls is one series away from going down the block permanently.

To be honest I'm glad that Di Barker hasn't returned to the show. It was her, Fenner and Atkins that started to make the series so unbelievable with the stupid storylines - which I believe culminated in the Christmas special (aka the Ghost of Fenner).

I do believe that the injection of new blood and the stronger grittier storylines are putting the show back on track, like it was during series' 1 to 3. There is no flight of fantasy (except Pat Kerrigan murdering and trying to dispose of whatshername). Just real, and probable, storylines this time. Great. Only thing missing is a Fenner type screw (I'm sure every prison has at least one somewhere and in some form), but there was a screw that would have replaced him (and he was Fenner's understudy/nemesis in the last series) and they seem to have got rid of him this series, as well