New Tricks star Dennis Waterman is quitting the show - the last of the original line-up to leave the popular police drama.
The actor, who will appear in the first two episodes of the next series before leaving, follows former co-stars Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong and James Bolam out of the show.
They were replaced by Denis Lawson, former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicholas Lyndhurst, but show bosses are staying tight-lipped on whether Dennis will be replaced.
They have not made a decision on whether to keep the theme tune sung by Dennis, who also performed the title track to his hit show Minder.
The show features Dennis's character, Gerry Standing, as part of a team of retired officers investigating old crimes in the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS).
Leanne Klein, the boss of Wall To Wall Television which produces New Tricks, said: "We'd like to thank Dennis for all his years of loyal service to UCOS and wish him the very best for the future. Viewers won't be saying goodbye to Dennis until autumn 2015, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy the slightly unorthodox antics of his character Gerry Standing."
