Anatomy stars join writers strike

Shooting for Grey's Anatomy is coming to an end

The cast of US medical drama Grey's Anatomy have joined striking Hollywood writers on the picket line.

Stars Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl and Sandra Oh spent their lunch breaks outside Prospect Studios, where the show is filmed.

Oh, who plays Dr Cristina Yang in the series, said the matter was "way too important" to ignore.

The strike, by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), was prompted by a disagreement over royalty payments.

'Tragedy'

"You've got to have a story in order to perform anything, to have any ideas on where to go and what to do, and where the character, story lines, arcs, everything," said Heigl.

"They're everything. We can't do it without them."

TR Knight, who plays Dr George O'Malley in the show, revealed the cast were shooting scenes for their last scripted episode then filming would be put on hold.

"We're supposed to be going until the end of May and right now our last shooting day will be Tuesday or Wednesday," he said.

They're everything. We can't do it without them Katherine Heigl

"As actors, we're paid a different way than the writers, but there's also the crew to keep in mind. They are out of work as of next Wednesday," he added.

Dempsey, who plays Dr Derek Shepherd said he thought it was a "tragedy" to be striking at all.

"At the same time, I do feel that the writers deserve a better break on the deals they have been getting," he added.

Meanwhile, the three-day walk-out has forced TV studios to stop work on at least seven prime-time sitcoms, including Kelsey Grammer's comedy, Back to You.

NBC's series The Office has also been forced to shut down as its star, Steve Carell, had joined strikers on the picket line.

Show cancellation

There are now only two more original episodes to broadcast.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox's 24 has been indefinitely postponed to avoid broadcasting a partial series.

"It's not a decision we wanted to make, but it's one based on how we feel the viewers expect us to schedule the show," said Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling chief.

The writers' union is seeking extra payments for their work when it is re-used on other platforms such as DVDs, the internet and mobile phones.

Last-ditch talks failed to resolve the dispute - the first since 1988, when industrial action lasted 22 weeks.

Studios have stockpiled dozens of film scripts in the hope they can ride out the strike.