When it comes to long-running TV shows that have been suffering a little in the ratings of late, promising to kill off an iconic character is usually a good way to bring the viewers back in out of sheer curiosity. We guess that's why the big bosses behind The Simpsons are planning to do exactly that.

Executive producer Al Jean was speaking with Canada's Sun News when he revealed that the team at Simpsons HQ will be bidding farewell to a very memorable character during Season 25. "I'll give you a clue" Jean teased, "the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won't say who it is."

Now that's probably going to have fans of the show scratching their heads because, believe it or not, no less than 25 Emmys have been handed out to Simpsons related folk over the years. However, if you narrow it down to just the voice actors you'll end up with a much smaller list.

We really don't think it likely that they'll go killing off Nancy Cartwright's Bart or Yeardley Smith's Lisa (we still can't help but laugh at her turn in City Slickers - there's nothing like hearing Lisa Simpson yelling "I think I'm pregnant" in the middle of a crowded party), but both Dan Castellaneta and Hank Azaria have a whole roster of characters to their name. Could Apu be next for the chop?

And then going even further down the list there are 5 names being touted all over the internet: Kelsey Grammar (who else could have played Sideshow Bob so beautifully?), Anne Hathaway (Princess Penelope), Jackie Mason (Krusty's dad Rabbi Krustofsky) Julie Kavner (Marge's ma Jacqueline Bouvier) and Marcia Wallace (the one and only Edna Krabappel). Could one of them be next for a Maude Flanders style exit?

Speaking of Maude, we can still remember all the fuss about her being killed off. It was a bit of an anti-climax, wasn't it?

Diddly.