The world of soaps in the United Kingdom is beginning to be hit by the Coronavirus outbreak, as it was revealed on Wednesday morning that filming of EastEnders has been suspended. The BBC One show wasn’t the only production to halt, with Doctors, Holby City and Casualty also suspended.
The BBC revealed in a statement that they had no other choice but to suspend filming, with the channel now facing the prospect of having months of empty TV listings. However, they have made the decision to air only two episodes per week; instead of the typical four.
EastEnders News: Tough Times Ahead For Television
There has been no word yet as to whether Coronation Street and Emmerdale will follow the same procedure. One actor from Corrie was self-isolating two weeks ago due to the Coronavirus, but they returned back to work last week. The name of the actor was kept away from the public domain.
The BBC’s decision means that they are now looking at tough times ahead regarding the television schedule, with many sports shows also absent. Last week it was also revealed that the filming of huge shows such as Peaky Blinders and Line of Duty was also suspended for the foreseeable future, with release dates for both now likely to be in 2021 rather than 2020.
EastEnders News: No Date On Filming
The bosses at the soap have placed no time frame on when they will return, but since they are filmed months in advance, there will be episodes for fans to enjoy during these testing times around the world. The episodes for the soap will now air on Monday and Tuesday at 8 pm and 7:30 pm respectively.
Meanwhile, shows such as Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Question Time will still go ahead as planned but with no audience in attendance. There could be further developments on this story over the coming days.
