Lark Rise To Candleford will not be returning for a fifth series, the BBC have confirmed.
The "memorable and much loved" period drama - which stars Julia Sawalha, Olivia Hallinan and Linda Bassett - will leave TV screens for good when the current run reaches its conclusion on February 13.
In a statement to the press, BBC One controller Danny Cohen explained: "
Lark Rise To Candleford has been a truly wonderful part of the BBC One schedule over the last few years, but after four series we feel that the time is right to make room for new dramas which we hope will be taken to the nationâs hearts in just the same way.
"We are incredibly grateful to Bill Gallagher and the
Lark Rise To Candleford team for producing such a memorable and much loved series."
Cohen also expressed hope that the array of forthcoming projects, which include an adaptation of Charles Dickens's
Great Expectations and spy series
Morton, would serve as adequate replacements for the cancelled show.
"I hope that these commissions begin to express the range and creative ambition we want BBC One drama to capture in the coming years," he said.
"There are great opportunities here for new writers, as well as a new commitment to blue-collar drama and classic period pieces."
Julia Sawalha previously
confessed that the series would likely be axed following the departure of creator Bill Gallagher.