EastEnders fans furious as soap ‘DISAPPEARS’ from screens in schedule shakeup

EASTENDERS fans were furious tonight as EastEnders didn’t fare as they expected.

The BBC One soap normally airs Mondays at 8pm, but due to a recent change in schedule it will now air Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm.

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It no longer airs on a Friday and the times remain the same throughout.

So who tuned in tonight at the usual time was bitterly disappointed.

One person tweeted: “I’ll have to adjust to the time change #EastEnders As I still thought it was 8:00 I missed it, so make it up.”

A second added: “I forgot #EastEnders aired at 7:30pm today! Looks like I’ll miss a few Monday episodes before I adjust to the new times 🤣 – Time to catch up!

EastEnders kicked off the new timings tonight with what it said was an “extremely exciting” week of plans that will see killer Gray Atkins finally unmasked.

It went against Emmerdale tonight as the ITV soap was moved to 7.30pm from its usual 7pm slot.

The two shows are now in direct competition four days a week, with Emmerdale airing an hour-long episode on Thursdays.

Other soap changes starting this week will see uninterrupted hour-long episodes of Coronation Street on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm.

Broadcasters used to go to great lengths to avoid having their soap operas clash, but it’s believed that this is far less of an issue in the era of on-demand television.

Kate Oates, BBC’s Head of Continuing Drama, said: “We are delighted to announce new regular slots for EastEnders from 7 March.

“This new simplified schedule means it’s even easier for viewers to get their fix and watch anytime, anywhere on @bbciplayer.

“EastEnders’ new 7:30pm slot kicks off an extremely exciting week with the murderer Gray Atkins finally being unmasked.”