The BBC drama Blue Lights, which premiered its fourth series this week, faces an uncertain future due to budget cuts at the broadcaster. The show, which began in 2023, is currently available weekly and on iPlayer.
The BBC is aiming to make £500m in savings over the next two years and is cutting some longstanding shows. Last month, the broadcaster confirmed the cancellation of Celebrity Mastermind, the Blankety Blank revival, and Live at the Apollo, with the BBC stating these savings were identified from the entertainment genre.
Blue Lights, co-created by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, stars Siân Brooke, Katherine Devlin, and Nathan Braniff as probationary officers in Belfast. The series has become a dependable hit, averaging seven million viewers per episode and becoming the second most-watched programme in Northern Ireland, where it is filmed.
Series four follows Grace (Brooke), Stevie (Martin McCann), and their team as they manage tensions during a protest by a right-wing group at a multicultural community centre. An attack by masked individuals at the event leaves the police dealing with the consequences.
Co-creators Lawn and Patterson praised the BBC's commitment when the show was renewed last year, stating they wanted to write a show with "scale and ambition in its storytelling."