World Service soap Westway axed

Westway has won awards for its diversity

BBC World Service radio drama Westway, which has an audience of millions worldwide, is being axed in October after eight years on air.

The twice-weekly soap, set in a west London medical practice, is being shelved in a schedule revamp.

A spokeswoman said there was "just not enough room" for Westway.

The World Service said it would still invest in drama, and that Westway's demise was "not a reflection of the programme's quality".

The new English language schedule from 2006 will be given over to factual programmes, with a world drama strand at the weekend.

The programme's final episodes have yet to be worked on, but "something creative" is likely to bring the series to an end.

Westway has in the past been praised for its culturally diverse cast, tackling issues such as tensions between Africans and Caribbeans living in London, and the bullying of a Muslim girl wearing a headscarf at school.

In 2001, the drama won an award from the Commission For Racial Equality for Race In The Media.

The show's cast features a diverse range of actors, including Nigerians, Asians and West Indians.