ITV is shaking up its soap schedule – with Coronation Street switching days and Emmerdale airing earlier than usual in a major change for fans.
The midweek shake-up comes as ITV clears space for live coverage of the Carabao Cup.
Asha struggles with her twin Aadi’s departure in Coronation Street as it airs a day earlier[/caption]
Tensions rise in Emmerdale when Dylan stuns Ray as it’s pulled from its regular slot[/caption]
Both soaps will be bumped from their regular Wednesday night slots.
Instead, Corrie fans will need to tune in a day early this week, with the soap hitting screens on Tuesday night at 8pm.
Meanwhile, Emmerdale will air slightly earlier on Wednesday, kicking off at 7pm rather than its regular 7.30pm start.
In Weatherfield, emotions are running high as Aadi’s shock exit leaves twin sister Asha reeling.
Jenny’s feathers are ruffled when mum Christina rocks up uninvited, while Billy finds himself stepping in to fight Theo’s corner against hard-nosed Miles.
Elsewhere, Carl swoops in to save Brody from trouble, and Gary’s left squirming as Maria starts asking the questions he doesn’t want to answer.
In the Dales, tensions rise as Dylan stuns Ray by saying he wants a break from working with him.
Moira’s left reeling when she realises she’s been completely duped, while young Kyle’s sharp eyes spot Dylan – and the penny drops fast.
This comes after furious Emmerdale viewers complained to Ofcom following a ‘violent and tasteless’ soap death.
In shock scenes, which aired well before the watershed, John Sugden was seen shooting Mackenzie Boyd in the back with an arrow, after an argument.
Viewers saw the boot of John’s van with blood stains and a body covered by a sheet.
The episode ended with a flashback of John throwing a heavy rock down at a helpless Mackenzie.
The brutal act sparked outrage and fans rushed to complain, with one person commenting: “@ofcom complaints incoming and this time you take action.”
A second said: “Love emmerdale but this all seemed a bit much with the violence and the crossbow seemed in bad taste what with the recent real life tragedies.”
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
While a third added: “Isn’t this a tad violent for early evening.”
“The writers have really crossed line bow and arrow after crossbow killings not right,” said a fourth.
A fifth added: “A bit distasteful isn’t it having a serial killer kill someone with a bow and arrow havent you got any compassion for a presenter who lost his entire family by a bow and Arrow in real life.”
The Sun revealed that Lawrence Robb, who played Mackenzie, had filmed devastating murder scenes for his character.
A source said at the time: “The scenes are going to be really harrowing for fans to watch.
“Mackenzie has been in so many scrapes and dangerous positions but this time it looks like he’s bitten off more than he can chew.
“Viewers will be on the edges of their seats watching what happens.”
Emmerdale’s John Sugden has seemingly claimed another victim – with a bow and arrow[/caption]
Mackenzie Boyd has seemingly been killed off[/caption]