Southend actor Lee Mead said the news Holby City will end next year came as a "real shock". 

Mead, 39, played Ben 'Lofty' Chiltern in the hospital soap from 2016 to 2019. 

The character had originally appeared in sister drama Casualty for two years. 

It was announced yesterday Holby City will come to an end next year after 23 years on screen.

Mead shot to stardom by bagging the lead role in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat after winning the Any Dream Will Do talent show in 2007.

In a Tweet he said: "Was a real shock.

"Even though I left end of 2019, I had three great years on the show and good friends in the cast, production and crew.

"So sad. Thinking of everyone today."

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The drama, created by Tony McHale and Mal Young, debuted in 1999, following the lives of staff at the fictional Holby City Hospital, the same hospital as Casualty.

A statement from the broadcaster said: “We are incredibly proud of Holby City but it’s with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year.

“We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBC’s commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team at BBC Studios and all the cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 1999.

“Holby has been a stalwart with audiences, delighting millions of viewers each week and winning hundreds of awards with a compelling mix of cutting edge medical stories and explosive personal stories.

“We look forward to working with the team over the coming months to ensure that when it ends, Holby goes out on a high.”