Soap opera fans are facing a frustrating week as all three of the UK’s major soaps—Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and EastEnders—have been temporarily pulled from the television schedules. This unprecedented shake-up, driven by extensive sports coverage, means beloved dramas will be off air on Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4, 2025, with further disruptions into the following week.
Thursday evenings typically feature an hour-long episode of Emmerdale and a half-hour visit to Albert Square with EastEnders. However, on July 3, viewers will find none of these familiar faces on their screens. Instead, the BBC is prioritizing Wimbledon, the world-famous tennis tournament that has dominated its programming for two weeks. Adding to the upheaval, the BBC is also broadcasting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, a high-stakes football tournament where teams battle fiercely in the group stages.
ITV, too, has reshuffled its lineup to accommodate the Women’s Euros. On Thursday night, ITV will broadcast the Portugal versus Spain match live from Sweden, a clash that has football fans glued to their screens. The following day, Friday, July 4, ITV will cover Germany’s match against Poland, alongside an earlier game between Denmark and Sweden. These matches leave no room for Emmerdale or Coronation Street on ITV’s schedule, forcing fans to wait longer for their regular soap fix.
For EastEnders fans, the disruption is even more pronounced. The soap won’t return to screens until Wednesday, July 9, 2025. However, there is a silver lining: when it does return, audiences will be treated to a double bill, offering twice the drama in one evening. Earlier in the week, EastEnders viewers enjoyed a two-hour special spread across Monday and Tuesday, which aired on BBC Two at 7 PM and was also available on iPlayer for those who prefer streaming.
Emmerdale fans will have a slightly shorter hiatus, with the show returning on Tuesday, July 8, at 7:30 PM. Following that, episodes will air on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11. Despite the break, the upcoming episodes promise plenty of drama: Joe Tate faces another attack, Sarah Sugden and Gabby Thomas are rushed to hospital, Nate Robinson’s memorial approaches, and Kim Tate prepares to share her new romantic chapter with Dawn Fletcher. The cliffhanger from the last episode, revealing Robert Sugden’s alliance with Kim Tate, has left viewers eager for the next installment.
Coronation Street fans, meanwhile, are in for a longer wait. The soap’s usual Monday episode on July 7 has been postponed due to ongoing football coverage, and the next episode won’t air until Wednesday, July 9, at 7:30 PM. The regular hour-long episodes will then resume on Thursday, July 10, at 9 PM. This extended break is a disappointment for those who follow the lives and loves of Weatherfield’s residents, but it’s a necessary sacrifice during this packed sports season.
Amid the schedule shake-ups, ITV has introduced a significant digital innovation for soap fans. Starting Monday, June 30, 2025, full episodes of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale have been made available on YouTube from 6 AM, several hours before their traditional broadcast on ITVX and ITV1. The official Coronation Street Instagram account celebrated this change, announcing: "Soap fans, rejoice! Starting tomorrow, full episodes will be available on YouTube from 7am—the same day they air on TV!" This move offers viewers more flexibility to catch up on their favourite soaps, even when the TV schedule is disrupted.
Looking beyond the immediate disruptions, ITV is planning more profound changes for its soap offerings starting in 2026. The broadcaster will launch a new “soap power hour,” featuring half-hour episodes of Emmerdale at 8 PM, followed by Coronation Street at 8:30 PM. To mark this new era, a one-off crossover special is scheduled for January 2026, uniting characters from both shows in a dramatic hour-long episode. Producers have teased that this special will have “everlasting consequences for everyone involved” and that the fictional worlds of Yorkshire and Manchester have been linked in an “ingenious way.” This ambitious crossover promises to be a landmark event for British soap fans.
While the current schedule shake-up has left soap lovers temporarily sidelined, the combination of digital access and upcoming programming innovations ensures that the soaps remain a vital and evolving part of British television culture. For now, viewers will have to swap their usual soap operas for tennis aces and football goals, but the drama in Weatherfield, the Dales, and Albert Square will be back soon—and with fresh twists and surprises to keep audiences hooked.
