A beloved BBC drama is not returning for a sixth series as the lead actress has confirmed no new episode is on the way.
Anne Reid appeared on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain and dashed fans’ hopes that there will be another series of The Last Tango in Halifax.
The hit comedy-drama ran for four series from 2012 to 2016, before returning for a fifth series in 2020, much to the delight of fans.
While appearing on GMB, Anne, 87, who stars as Celia Dawson on the show, was questioned by host Ed Balls about whether Last Tango will return in Halifax.
However, Anne left fans disappointed as she said she doesn’t think there will be another series but hinted they could do a Christmas special.
Not coming back: A beloved BBC drama won’t be returning for a sixth series as the lead actress has confirmed no new episode is on the way
Oh no! Anne Reid appeared on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain and fans hoped there will be another episode of The Last Tango in Halifax
She said, ‘It would be nice, I know Derek is ready and I’m talking to Sarah, I don’t know anything about Nicola. She said “I think a Christmas special would be nice”. We wouldn’t do another series.’
MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.
Written by Happy Valley’s Sally Wainwright, Last Tango in Halifax follows former childhood sweethearts Celia (Anne) and Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi).
The pair reunite in their widows and 70s after their grandsons hooked them up on social media, leading to them rekindling their love and tying the knot.
The plot also follows the lives of their respective daughters Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) and Gillian (Nicola Walker).
Season four of the drama aired in 2016, but the fifth series didn’t hit the screens until 2020 when busy writer Sally penned the show’s next episode.
The highly anticipated fifth series follows Alan and Celia seven years after they got married and saw them living together in a beautiful bungalow.
Sally has previously shared that Last Tango in Halifax is loosely based on the true story of her own mother’s romance with a former college friend in later life.
End: While appearing on GMB, Anne, 87, who stars as Celia Dawson on the show, was questioned by host Ed Balls about whether Last Tango will return in Halifax
Beloved: Written by Happy Valley’s Sally Wainwright, Last Tango in Halifax follows former childhood sweethearts Celia (Anne) and Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi)
Sally has also recently seen huge success with the return of Happy Valley, who also starred in Last Tango in Halifax actress Sarah Lancashire.
The role of Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the BBC crime drama was created especially for Sarah by Sally, who was blown away with her Bafta-winning performance as lesbian headmistress Caroline in Last Tango In Halifax.
Happy Valley returned to the screens after a long wait for its third and final series, coming to a climactic conclusion in episodes aired earlier this year.
The final episode concluded the nine-year, three-series cat-and-mouse game between Sergeant Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).
The dramatic 15-minute showdown between the pair causes villain Tommy to finally give in after running away from his crimes for three seasons.
Defeated, he comes face to face with enemy Catherine and admits that he “doesn’t hate her anymore.”
The criminal douses himself with gasoline and decides he’d rather die than go back to prison. He pulls out his lighter to set himself on fire.
Acclaim: Sally has also had huge success recently with the return of Happy Valley, which also starred Last Tango in Halifax actress Sarah Lancashire (pictured)
Showdown: Happy Valley returned to screens after a long wait for the third and final series, culminating in a showdown between Catherine and Tommy-Lee Royce (James Norton)
While many fans expected high-octane action, and perhaps even Catherine’s demise, Sally’s decision to revolve her finale around a 15-minute kitchen table war of words between Tommy and Catherine left viewers in awe.
Jan Moir of the Daily Mail called the episode “as touching and unexpected as it is thrilling and thought-provoking, with moments of suffocating emotion and flashes of humour”.
Lucy Mangan, writing for The Guardian, praised the ‘certain’ creator and writer Wainwright who helped us come up with neat but truthful solutions to every part of the story.’
Carol Midgley of The Times concurred, stating “Hats off to Wainwright for avoiding a spectacular shoot-out confrontation.” The genius of this was its understated, domestic smallness.’
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