The Simpsons has 'retired forever' a classic character in new episode

Another character from The Simpsons has gone from the show as a new episode was dedicated to their end.

If you've seen the sitcom, and frankly it's hard to have lived a life not seeing The Simpsons, you'll likely know Homer's favourite brand of beer is Duff.

Promoting Duff on the show is Duffman, aptly described by Lenny as 'the guy in a costume that creates awareness of Duff', who spends his time speaking in a dramatic voice and referring to himself in the third person, often punctuated with an 'oh yeah' and the occasional hip thrust.

However, it sounds like Duffman has been given his last orders as the latest episode on the long-running cartoon show had him telling the family the Duff Brewery had 'retired that character forever'.

The character of Duffman has been retired, oh yeah! (Disney)

In the episode 'Seperance', which riffed on the excellent TV show Severance, Homer was invited by Duffman to work for a shady company where he'd been at since Duff ditched him.

"All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots - today's kids can't even sing the jingles," Duffman sadly informed the Simpson family.

While he once said 'Duffman can never die, only the actors who play him', it seems as though this might be it for the guy.

His real name has been given as 'Barry Duffman' and 'Barry Huffman', while there were apparently multiple Duffmen running around raising awareness of the fictional beer in the show.

One person who might be glad Duffman is on the way out is his voice actor Hank Azaria, who once told Conan O'Brien he would 'dread' having to do the character's lines.

He said: "There are certain voices I save, like Duffman will blow me out in a second. I have to save Duffman for the end, and I actually dread it. It actually does hurt, but I am not complaining."

Of all the characters Hank Azaria played on the show, he said Duffman was hardest on his voice (Disney)

Instead, his favourite voice of the various characters he voices on the show is Moe the bartender, who has met and interacted with Duffman in the past.

Having made his first appearance in 1997, if this is truly the end of Duffman then he joins the growing list of Simpsons characters who will no longer be on the show.

Some characters like Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure were retired because their actor died in real life, while others were killed off on the show for various other reasons, and Apu has been phased out of The Simpsons.

The likes of the original Fat Tony, Mona Simpson and Maude Flanders were killed off for good, a fate which Duffman has been spared even if he has been cast onto the corporate scrapheap.

Duffman out.