ITV drops Coronation Street again in schedule shake-up

There is set to be more disruption for soap fans this week as Coronation Street and Emmerdale are hit by ITV’s schedule shake up. Viewers tuning into ITV1 on Friday expecting to find the latest instalment of Coronation Street will instead be met with coverage of an FA Cup football match between Aston Villa and Cardiff City.

Image Credit: Metro [April looks lonely in Emmerdale]

But fans needn’t worry about missing out, as the third Corrie episode of the week is set to air at 9pm tonight instead, with the episode already available to watch on ITVX. Emmerdale will also be affected by the changes tomorrow, with the final episode of the week set to air at the earlier time of 7pm.

In Coronation Street, fans can expect to see the fallout of Ken Barlow’s (William Roache) discovery and subsequent heart attack, as Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) faces the consequences of her actions. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video.

Up Next. Elsewhere, Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) gets the results of his cancer tests, and Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) adjusts to life in the STC. Over in the Dales, Steph Miligan (Georgia Jay) is determined to get to the bottom of what her parents are hiding, while April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) struggles on her first day back at school.

Next year, both Emmerdale and Coronation Street are set to face permanent schedule changes, as they are reduced to five 30 minute episodes per week. Airing from Monday to Friday, fans will be treated to a soap ‘power hour’, with Emmerdale hitting our screens at 8pm, followed by Corrie at 8.30pm.

These changes are set to take effect in early 2026, with the occasion being marked by an enormous, game-changing stunt. When announcing the changes, ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo branded the new scheduling pattern as ‘viewer-led’.

‘In a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows,’ he said.

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