Emmerdale and Coronation Street have been pulled from their usual slots once again due to live sports coverage on ITV. The soaps will not air on Friday, 6 March, as the slot is replaced by a Six Nations rugby match. This marks the third month of schedule changes, following previous disruptions for football and rugby.
Emmerdale normally airs at 8 pm for 30 minutes, followed by Coronation Street for another 30 minutes. However, instead of moving the soaps to a later time as in the past, ITV has opted to drop them entirely for the day. The soaps will return to their normal schedule on Monday.
Fans have expressed frustration over the repeated changes. One viewer commented: 'Football needs a dedicated channel on ITV this is just ridiculous. My Nan relies on these soaps every evening just to make her feel she has company.' Another said: 'First #Emmerdale gets moved from 7pm to 7.30, so as not to clash with other things, then its moved to 8pm & half hour removed... and yet STILL we lose episodes to the boring football? @ITV this is getting silly.'
In other Emmerdale news, actress Natalie Robb has hinted that her character Moira Dingle may be forced to leave her farm. Moira has faced numerous challenges, including wrongful imprisonment for murder and her husband Cain's battle with prostate cancer. Robb said: 'Her main focus is to get Cain back to his health. The pressure has to be taken off him in order for him to focus properly on his illness.'
