Channel 4 chief executive Mark Thompson announced last October that 'Brookside' was set to end, as the show was first put out to pasture with the axing of its primetime weekday evening slot and a move to Saturday afternoons.
Moving the soap out of primetime allowed Channel 4 to increase the frequency of its teen soap 'Hollyoaks' to five nights a week capitalising on its increasing popularity.
Both soaps are made by Phil Redmond's Mersey Television, which has been commissioned to create an interactive daytime legal drama for the channel based on high-profile court cases, which is about to go into production. The new show will allow the audience to act as the jury and text in their verdicts.
Mersey Television has also signed a deal to create a new late-night show for the channel, although there are few details available.
Redmond, who also created teenage school drama 'Grange Hill', said: "We have a lot to be proud of, although I know a lot people will be sad at 'Brookside''s passing. I'm particularly pleased that the programme will end on such a strong year, doing exactly what I intended it to do 21 years ago -- blending entertainment with the raising of social issues."
'Hollyoaks' is currently averaging 2m viewers between 6.30pm-7pm, up 3% from 2002, and consistently has the highest profile of 16-24 and 16-34 viewers.
The soap is currently looking for a sponsor after Nescafe declined to extend its sponsorship of the show after its 12-month contract expired.
John Yorke, Channel 4 head of drama, said: "I will be very sad to see the passing of 'Brookside', a show that transformed popular drama in this country and launched a whole generation of talent both in front of and behind the camera.
"Both we and Mersey, however, feel it is time to move on and I am looking forward to working with Phil and his team not only on the hugely successful 'Hollyoaks', but also his new legal series and a number of other projects to come."
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