Emmerdale and Coronation Street viewers hoping for their usual Friday night fix are set for disappointment, as neither ITV soap will air tonight (Friday, August 7).
Soap fans endured weeks of schedule disruption throughout July because of the World Cup.
And although many expected normal service to resume, another change to the ITV schedule means both soaps have been pulled from tonight’s line-up.
Why are Emmerdale and Coronation Street not on tonight?
Instead of its usual 8pm to 9pm soap slot, ITV will be showing live football coverage.
Tonight’s schedule is dedicated to the EFL Cup first-round clash between Middlesbrough and Wrexham, with kick-off at 8pm from the Riverside Stadium.
While football supporters will be looking forward to the match, the same can’t be said for many soap fans, especially after Thursday night’s (August 6) dramatic episodes.
In Emmerdale, Charity came face-to-face with Dr Todd after the doctor once again let herself into Charity’s home.
Meanwhile, Coronation Street ended with Kit Green giving Gary Windass an ultimatum, warning him he had until 3pm the following day to hand himself in before Kit did it himself.
Soap fans fume at ITV
With both soaps ending on major cliffhangers, many viewers have taken to social media to share their frustration over another cancelled episode.
One fan wrote: “Why can’t they put football on another channel? Why do they have to mess with the soaps?”
Another added: “Not football AGAIN?”
“Surely they could still put the soaps on ITVX and YouTube. This isn’t fair!” a third commented.
A fourth viewer wrote: “After that ending I have to wait until Sunday to see what happens next. That’s not fair.”
Soap schedules have regularly been disrupted by live sport over the years, but that hasn’t made the changes any easier for loyal viewers.
Although Emmerdale and Coronation Street won’t be on tonight, both soaps will return on Sunday, when fans can finally find out what happens after this week’s dramatic cliffhangers.
Read more: Emmerdale fans convinced Jimmy’s death is ’very soon’ as show drops major clue