Melvyn Bragg's The South Bank Show - ITV's only arts programming - will come off air next year, after 33 years of interviews with stars ranging from Woody Allen to Eric Clapton.

Commissioned by Michael Grade in 1978, and killed off under his leadership today, the Sunday-night programme changed the face of arts coverage by taking popular media, such as film and pop music, as seriously as opera and ballet.

The South Bank Show's demise has been prompted by Mr Bragg's decision to step down when his current contract runs out in the middle of next year. He is also retiring as ITV's controller of arts, after a career working in commercial television, which began at a time when its output was little different to the BBC's.

ITV said it would look "at opportunities for new arts programming" instead and said it felt it had to kill the programme because "The South Bank Show and Melvyn go hand in hand".

But with advertising falling as the recession bites and ITV becoming selective about how it spends its dwindling programming budget, it is uncertain whether any arts programmes will be commissioned.

Mr Bragg, chosing his words carefully, said: "I have decided to leave ITV at the end of my current contract. Sadly, The South Bank Show will not continue beyond the middle of next year."

"I look forward to ITV’s future arts output and wish it the best of luck."

Earlier today rival Channel 4 said it believed that television advertising would fall by 15 per cent this year, which would mean a fall of about £200 million for ITV. ITV has been forced to look at its programming budget, and the network has already said it would drop one hour a week of drama in pursuit of more repats and cheaper shows.

Micheal Grade, ITV's executive chairman, said: "I am immensely proud that over three decades The South Bank Show has become the benchmark for popular arts programming and has consistently won the admiration of audiences and critics. None of this would have happened without Melvyn who has remained the driving force behind the show and has been a great champion of the programme and of ITV."

Bragg, who will also be retiring as Controller of Arts for ITV Studios, has presented the multi-award winning television arts series since its launch in January 1978, with a programme which featured Germaine Greer, Gerald Scarfe and Paul McCartney, and signature tune by Andrew Lloyd Webber out of Paganini.

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