No, sadly it's not a cruel joke.

World-productions.com was the first to break the news at 5.15pm on March 13th 2001. The day before, Ballykissangel had been axed by the BBC.

With Kieran Prendiville back in the writer's chair and a brand new set of characters, it had seemed that the show was right back on track, but for whatever reasons, the BBC obviously felt otherwise.

As a fan of show, it came as very sad news. I felt that the new series had recaptured some of the magic of the first three series and Kieran's writing had brought the spark back to the show. I would have liked to see him able to develop his new characters in the way he wanted them to go. It is a huge shame that he will not have the opportunity to do this.

So many people have had a hand in creating the show - writers, cast, producers, directors, script editors, drivers... it's a massive list and every one of them made their mark. In particular I would like to pay a personal tribute to the work of Kieran Prendiville. What I enjoyed from the very start of the show was that the writer assumed the audience could work a certain amount out for themselves. There was humour, drama, realism and subtext and, Kieran, I think all viewers would join me in saying a huge thank-you for creating a lovely piece of drama which became an hour of escapism for millions of people around the world.

Get more about the cancellation from:
www.world-productions.com
BBC News