After seven glorious years, Joss Whedon's hit vampire show will end in May.

It's official: Sarah Michelle Gellar will not continue as Buffy Summers beyond Season Seven, spelling the end of the show as we know it. The actress feels that she has played the Slayer long enough, and wants to quit whilst she is ahead.

Buffy boss Joss Whedon will write and direct the show's one-hour finale, Chosen, which will be screened in America on 20th May 2003.

"I'm just glad I can say we did our best on every single episode," Joss announced in a statement to the press. "We didn't always succeed, but we never slacked, and I'm immensely proud of my writers, actors and crew for that."

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer will go down in history as one of television's best shows and an enduring testament to the vision and genius of its creator Joss Whedon," said 20th Century Fox Television president Dana Walden.

"For seven years, Joss and his team... captured the cultural zeitgeist and effortlessly combined drama, action and humour," added Walden. "Without question, [Buffy] will live on for generations to come."

BBC2 still has the remainder of Season Six and all of Season Seven to screen, so the Slayer is unlikely to disappear from British screens until at least 2005. Cult's Buffy web site will continue to bring you all the latest developments on Buffy and its cast, Angel, and any spinoffs that may follow from Joss Whedon.