Coronation Street and Emmerdale may soon face the axe as ITV bosses grow increasingly panicked about their budget, insiders have claimed
Coronation Street and Emmerdale may be in for some dramatic changes.
ITV’s daytime telly shake-up has sparked fears that the network’s cherished soaps might be next to face the chop. The Sun reports whispers that Coronation Street and Emmerdale could be in line for drastic cost-cutting measures.
A telly insider told The Sun: “After the Daytime announcement, the big feeling within the soap departments at ITV is the cost-cutting focus will shift to them. There’s been some seismic changes already over the past year regarding penny pinching, and many believe that’s just the start.”
Coronation Street and Emmerdale have historically been considered untouchable jewels in ITV’s crown, but now they appear more vulnerable than ever.
“Given the big audience figures and institutional history within ITV, soaps used to have an untouchable feel about them,” the source revealed. “But that’s changed significantly, and they now feel more vulnerable than ever,” reports the Mirror.
Starting January 2026 both shows will be cut down to five 30-minute episodes a week, shedding an hour of soap action, for ITV’s “Power Hour”. Emmerdale will be kicking off at 8 pm followed by Corrie at 8:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
The reshuffle is set to slash up to 75 jobs, with numerous crew members allegedly already being corralled into redundancy discussions.
The departure of John Whiston, ITV’s Head of Continuing Drama, has stirred up a whirlwind of speculation. Stepping into his shoes, Iain MacLeod has been bumped up to Creative Director, now helming both soaps.
Rumours are circulating among the crew about whether Emmerdale and Corrie might start sharing more than their evening slots.
Adding intrigue is the buzz around an upcoming crossover episode, meant to celebrate the new schedule. Despite ITV chiefs saying that it’s a one-time special, a source has toldThe Sun that it’s actually a belt-tightening trial to test if teams can juggle duties on both shows.
However, a spokesperson from ITV clarified: “These claims aren’t true. ITV has been clear that the crossover episode is a one-off occasion to launch the new scheduling pattern for Coronation Street and Emmerdale in January 2026. Both programmes will then continue to broadcast separate, individual episodes. The crossover episode will be purely story-driven and is a first for British Soap.
“The idea certainly hasn’t been conceived for financial reasons. In fact, the spectacular combined launch episode will cost a great deal more than regular episodes. We are proud to have the opportunity to be able to deliver this special moment for fans of both programmes.”
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