The Bastard Executioner: Welsh-made US TV drama cancelled

Actor Stephen Moyer starred in The Bastard Executioner

A TV drama made in Wales for American network FX has been cancelled after its first series.

The Bastard Executioner, made at Dragon International Studios near Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taff, has been ditched after a slump in viewers.

The Welsh government said this series and others such as Da Vinci's Demons showed Wales had the UK's "biggest creative industries base outside of London".

It has not yet been screened in the UK.

Series creator Kurt Sutter took out an advert in TV trade press to announce the end of the series.

The Hollywood Reporter said Sutter sent an email to the Welsh-based cast and crew, praising them for their commitment and enthusiasm.

The 14th Century period drama premiered in the US in September.

Earlier this year the Welsh government supported Fox Television 21 as the company secured a long-term lease for the studios.

The Hollywood Reporter said the programme "lost more than half of its audience through its first six weeks on the air, falling from 4 million combined weekly viewers for its September 15 premiere to just 1.9 million for episode six."