EastEnders schedule shake-up as soap pulled off BBC1 all week

EASTENDERS has been hit by yet another schedule shake-up on the BBC.

Fans of the soap look set to be left grumbling once more amid a weeks-long schedule switch-up.

BBC

BBC

BBC One‘s flagship evening show will be dropped from its regular 7:30pm slot as a result of the Olympics coverage.

Live coverage of the sporting event in Paris has taken precedent over the TV schedules leading to EastEnders to be booted from its usual slot.

Instead, the soap will air on sister channel BBC Two as well as still continuing to drop episodes early on BBC iPlayer.

It isn’t the first time this has occurred in recent weeks with EastEnders also being moved as a result of Wimbledon and the Euro 2024 tournament.

However, fans were left furious after coverage of the tennis tournament significantly overran leading to TWO episode of the soap being moved again at the very last moment to BBC Three.

Currently, the Olympics is dominating the entire BBC One schedule from 6:45am until midnight with the channel only airing lunchtime and evening news updates alongside it.

The disruption is expected to continue for at least the next two weeks as a result of the Games.

EastEnders has just kicked off what is expected to be the show’s biggest plot of the summer involving Kat Slater and her son Tommy.

The programme will be delving into the world of parental abuse with Tommy turning violent against his mum.

The taxi boss – who is played by actress Jessie Wallace in the BBC soap – was seen being punched by young Tommy (Sonny Kendall) in one of last week’s episodes.

Viewers watched as Kat confronted Tommy over his attempts to trick her into getting back with ex Phil Mitchell.

But as she took him to task and told him it would never happen, Tommy ran at her and violently punched her in the stomach, forcing her to knock him back in self-defence.

And now soap bosses have confirmed that it will form part of a summer storyline for the soap as Tommy uses violence to control his mother.

It will show the effects this has on their mother-son relationship, and the wider Slater-Moon family as a whole. 

EastEnders is working closely with Family Based Solutions and PEGS, as well as experts in the field to ensure the child-to-parent abuse storyline is portrayed as accurately and as sensitively as possible, and NSPCC have consulted on wider aspects of the storyline.

Darkest soap storylines

Over the years the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street have all tried to try outdo each other with their outlandish plots in a bid to keep us tuning in each week. But here are some of the darkest that had fans in shock…

EastEnders: Tony grooming Whitney (2008-2009) – Tony King first appeared in Albert Square in 2008 as the boyfriend of Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer. But it was quickly revealed he was a paedophile who had been grooming vulnerable Whitney, Bianca’s adopted stepdaughter from a previous relationship, since she was 12. The shocking storyline attracted more than 200 complaints within a week of it beginning. Whitney waited until her 16th birthday to reveal the truth to a horrified Bianca, who called the police.

Emmerdale: Holly’s drug addiction and shock death (2010-2016) – In 2010, Holly Barton (played by Sophie Powles) became Emmerdale’s first teenage drug addict. The shocking storyline saw her taking cocaine on a night out before developing a deadly heroin habit. Parents John and Moira desperately tried to help get their daughter clean but when Holly returned in 2016, following a four-year absence, she quickly relapsed. Fans were left stunned and heartbroken when distraught Moira found Holly dead in her bed from a heroin overdose.

Hollyoaks: Luke’s rape (2000) – Actor Gary Lucy was just 17 when he took on this groundbreaking storyline, which saw his character Luke Morgan become soap’s first make rape victim. Luke had endured a long-running bullying campaign by football rival Mark Gibbs – who raped him after Luke stood up to him. Luke was left suicidal following the brutal attack, before opening up to his brother Adam. Gibbs was sentenced to eight years in prison. Gary won the Best Actor gong at the British Soap Awards in 2000 for his performance.

Coronation Street: Evil Richard Hillman (2001-2003) – Just a mere mention of ‘Richard Hillman’ is enough to send a shiver down the spines of soap fans. He is often ranked one of the most evil soap villains and it’s not hard to see why. The smooth-talking financial adviser bashed his ex-wife Patricia over the head with a shovel. In a bid to keep his mother-in-law Audrey quiet, he set fire to her house. And when Maxine caught him trying to murder Emily Bishop, he took a crowbar to her head. He made his exit from the cobbles in 2003 when he drove Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, and her family into the canal. They survived, but he didn’t.

BBC

AFP