EastEnders pulled off air amid huge schedule shake-up along with two other shows

10 January 2024 , 17:29

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EastEnders pulled off air amid huge schedule shake-up along with two other shows

The BBC has announced a major schedule shake-up next week that is set to anger fans as it prepares to pull EastEnders off air.

For one night the BBC soap, along with Waterloo Road and forensic crime drama Silent Witness will not be shown on the broadcaster's platform as it airs the live FA Cup football on January 16.

Usually, EastEnders airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.30pm Monday through to Thursday, every week. But next Tuesday, the football match between Bristol City and West Ham United will take over the allocated slot.

In a bid to quell potential upset, BBC bosses have planned to reschedule the soap for Friday 19, but other shows haven't been as lucky and have been shelved for a lot longer.

EastEnders will be pulled off air next week for live coverage of FA Cup (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

According to The Sun, the fourth episode of Silent Witness was also meant to be aired on January 16 but this has now been rescheduled for the following Monday 22. This major overhaul of the schedule has now pushed back the show's run time by an entire week.

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

The drama will now be off screen for the rest of the week but things will resume as normal for its bi-weekly schedule on January 29. Waterloo Road is also been pushed back by a week due to the live match. This will mean that fans of the show will have to wait until January 23.

But this is not the first time that the popular BBC soap has been pulled off air to make way for sports coverage. Back in August last year, EastEnders did not air at its usual time on BBC One as it made way for the live World Athletics. And once again in an attempt to keep angry fans at bay, the two half-hour missed episodes aired back to back at the earlier slot of 7pm on Tuesday and Thursday of that week instead.

Silent Witness is also part of the major schedule shake-up next week (BBC Studios/Gary Moyes)

The World Athletics Championships were being held in Budapest, Hungary. At the time, soap fans saw the re-introduction of Peter Beale, played by Thomas Law. Speaking of joining the cast and starring alongside Adam Woodyatt and Michelle Collins, Thomas said back in August: "It’s just great. I’ve never worked with Michelle before as she had gone by the time I joined but working with her now is such a treat. "

He added: "She’s so strong at what she does and it really shows when we’re on set – she’ll pull me aside to run a scene before we film which I love as everyone will then feel comfortable when filming. Adam is like a second dad to me so I’m loving working with him again – I’m a bit taller than him now so he has to get on his tiptoes!"

And speaking of her return, Michelle, who plays Cindy Beale said: "She said: "Cindy was completely living this double life. It’s feasible. You have to have a back story of where she was, where has she been, what has she been doing. It’s genius the way it’s all been put together."

Lucretia Munro