Over the last few years, there have of course been various predictions about the end of the world, which becomes nigh quite often – ’til we pass the date, still very much here – however, today, news that’s potentially worse than Armageddon is that The Simpsons may be coming to an end in 2014!

So sayeth voice over artist Harry Shearer, who of course voices Mr Burns, among others. The Daily Mirror reports that he said, “I suspect the 25th season will be the last.

“In a sense, maybe that will be an unmatchable record.”

Shearer, who has also provided the voices of Mr Burns’ sidekick Waylon Smithers, Homer Simpson’s next-door-diddly neighbourooney Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner since the show began in December 1989, added that when the show launched, nobody had any clue it would have such a long run…

He said, “We couldn’t have imagined a major network would pick it up four years later, let alone that our show would have been on air for more than 20 years.”

He added, “Anybody who says ‘yes’ [they knew the show would run and run] is lying.

“We started out on a seldom used and watched UHF TV network where very often people’s normal roof antennae didn’t receive the signal and they’d have to improvise with wire coat hangers – that’s how marginal it was.”

However, despite the huge success of The Simpsons, last year, Harry was among many of the show’s other stars who had to accept a pay cut of around 30% in order to allow the show’s 24th season to go into production, but he feels that the show’s conclusion is now a foregone one.

He said, “Forever is a long time. I couldn’t do another 25 years for health reasons.”

I’m gutted. Are you?

Here’s a clip of Harry talking about the show…