The BBC has axed Byker Grove after 17 years and 18 series, in a move to concentrate on a younger core audience.

The popular Newcastle-based show will have one last series before disappearing from our screens forever.

"The time has come for us to say a fond farewell to Byker Grove and I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in the show over the years for their valued contribution," said CBBC's controller Richard Deverell. "It has been a great programme for CBBC with some ground breaking storylines over the years."

Since starting in Autumn 1989 the programme has launched the careers of Ant & Dec, Jill Halfpenny, Donna Air and Andrew Hayden-Smith, over the course of its 344 episodes to date.