Emmerdale is axing two families in a new cast clear-out.
Both the Reynolds and Daggert clans are to be ditched in the coming months because show bosses said their characters "cannot develop any further".
Actors in the show have just been informed of their fate, although programme chiefs have not yet said how they will make their exits.
The latest casualties come in the wake of the Soapstars family whose disappearance from Emmerdale was announced earlier this year. The untrained actors won their places through a TV talent hunt.
The Reynolds family joined in 1999 and have been at the centre of a number of plots, with the Daggerts joining more recently.
Sean Reynolds - played by Steve McGann - has already disappeared from the show after leaving his family following an affair with Lady Tara.
The characters who will be written out are police sergeant Angie Reynolds (Freya Copeland), her son Marc (Anthony Lewis), father-in-law Len (Peter Martin), Cynthia Daggert (Kay Purcell) and her children Latisha (Danielle Henry) and Danny (Cleveland Campbell).
However, Vicky Binns, who plays Angie's daughter Ollie Reynolds, will remain with the five-nights-a-week soap.
Emmerdale producer Steve Frost said: "We are very sorry to be losing both families. It was a very tough decision to make because we have always been delighted with the actors concerned and couldn't fault any of their performances during their time with the show.
"But in storyline terms, we feel that their characters cannot develop any further."