Coronation Street and Emmerdale have been removed from ITV's schedule on Wednesday, June 24, due to live coverage of the FIFA World Cup match between Switzerland and Canada. The disruption has infuriated fans, who took to social media to express their frustration.
Earlier this year, ITV launched a new 'power hour' of soaps, with Emmerdale airing at 8pm and Coronation Street at 8:30pm from Monday to Friday. Both episodes are also available on ITVX from 7am. However, the World Cup broadcast has forced a reshuffle.
Schedule Changes and Fan Reactions
Instead of the usual half-hour episodes, hour-long episodes of both soaps will air on Thursday, June 25 from 8pm to 10pm. No episodes are scheduled for Friday, June 26, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Fans have voiced their anger on a Coronation Street Facebook fan page. One viewer commented: 'Offgs more football!' Another added: 'The football is ruining my evenings!' A third said: 'Why can't they put it on a football channel!'
Dramatic Week on Coronation Street
The schedule changes come amid a gripping storyline on Coronation Street. The murderer of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) was revealed to be Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien). Theo died in April after his campaign of terror against Todd (Gareth Pierce) was exposed, triggering a whodunnit plot.
Suspects included Todd, Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins), George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley), Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby), Gary Windass (Mikey North), and Danielle Silverton (Natalie Anderson). Initially, police believed Summer was the killer and charged her with the crime. However, a shocking twist this week revealed that Sarah was the culprit, despite never being a suspect.
A flashback showed Sarah striking Theo with a metal pole atop scaffolding, causing him to fall to his death. After realizing he was dead, a panicked Sarah called Gary for help, and they covered up the crime, keeping the secret for weeks.
Coronation Street normally airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
