EastEnders fans have expressed fury over major schedule changes caused by the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon. The soap, which normally airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One, saw no new episodes on Monday or Tuesday this week, with a double bill scheduled for Wednesday and a single episode on Thursday and Friday.
Despite the TV schedule disruption, episodes are still released on BBC iPlayer at 6am Monday to Thursday, as usual. The BBC soap announced the schedule on X, reminding fans they could watch early online. However, many viewers took to social media to complain about the delay in traditional broadcasts.
One fan, @asagumo71, said: 'I'm furious that sports has once again hijacked the schedule of soaps. There are so many free to watch channels that sports can be allocated to, so there is no excuse for this.' Another, @WowGrape90791, added: 'The iPlayer and TV schedules should never be out of sync this badly!'
The changes come as EastEnders begins a new era under executive producer Ben Wadey, who replaced Chris Clenshaw. Recent episodes have seen the return of Zoe Slater after 20 years, and upcoming storylines include a bidding war for the Queen Vic.
