Frasier to bow out in May

American TV chiefs have officially announced that Frasier is to end this year, ending speculation that the acclaimed sitcom could have run to a 12th series.

Rising costs have made the show financially unviable, so the final episode will be aired in May.

Star Kelsey Grammer earns more than £1million an episode, making him the most highly-paid figure on TV. In all, each half-hour episode costs NBC £2.8 million.

The end of the show will come as a blow to the NBC network, already reeling from losing Friends in the very same month.

Frasier's popularity has waned over the years, but its 11 million audience is still impressive, and it attracts older, wealthier viewers sought-after by advertisers.

NBC president Jeff Zucker said: "No show has meant as much to the quality and perception of NBC as this show," adding that Grammer has been "the single most important person to NBC these past 20 years."

But co-executive producer Christopher Lloyd admitted: "We don't have a clue about how we're going to end."

Published: 13 Jan 2004