For the first time in its 37 years of running, Eastenders will be showing four days in a row—from Mondays to Thursdays—scrapping Fridays from its schedule.
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Fridays off, Wednesdays in
The switch will come into effect starting Monday 7 March 2022 with a new dedicated permanent slot at 7:30 pm for every episode. Also seeing changes is Doctors which, on top of its daytime showing, will now be repeated Mondays through Thursdays on BBC2 at 7p. In a statement made to The Mirror, BBCStudios’ continuing drama chief Kate Oates said:
We’re delighted that, from 7th March, there will be new regular time slots for EastEnders on BBC1, and Doctors on BBC2.
And added:
Both shows have a loyal following; and this new simplified schedule means it’s even easier for viewers to get their fix, as well as being able to watch whenever and wherever they choose on iPlayer.
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No more soap clashes
The news comes amid ITV's announcement that Coronation Street will soon be switching to an hour-long format thrice a week while Emmerdale will be running all five days of the week at 7:30 pm as well. But worry not, for those of you also binging Emmerdale, bosses have explained that scheduling conflicts will no longer be a problem as viewers can catch up on one or the other by heading over to iPlayer or BBC3 omnibus at weekends. A BBC insider explained:
Bosses made the decision to change up the schedule when ITV made their announcement. In the past, if there was ever a clash between the soaps it was the audience who lost out, but viewers consume TV differently these days.
Adding that:
It’s no longer about the overnight ratings because they don’t reflect the true picture of who is tuning in. You only have to look at the numbers watching EastEnders on iPlayer, the figures are pretty incredible.
