Is Emmerdale and Coronation Street on Tonight?
No, Emmerdale and Coronation Street are not on ITV tonight, Thursday 5 February 2026, in the UK broadcast schedule.
Both soaps have been pulled for another evening because ITV is giving priority to live sports coverage and special programming, which has become a bit of a running theme this year.
Viewers expecting the usual “soap power hour” from 8pm to 9pm will instead see the evening taken over by live matches and studio build‑up, pushing the dramas out of their regular slots.
The timing change stings a little more because Emmerdale only just returned to its usual 8pm slot last night after earlier disruption in the week.
Some fans had planned their whole evening around catching up in real time, only to end up refreshing ITVX and social feeds wondering if the listings were wrong.
One common pattern lately is people settling down with dinner at 7:55pm, remote ready, then noticing the football graphics appear instead of the Dales or the cobbles cue mild annoyance and a quick check of TV guides or entertainment news sites.
What Exactly is Happening With Tonight’s ITV Schedule?
Tonight, ITV1’s prime-time schedule is dominated by live sports, including major rugby coverage that runs right through the usual Emmerdale 8pm and Coronation Street 8:30pm windows.
This kind of disruption has already hit the soaps several times in January and early February, often linked to tournaments such as the Carabao Cup and Six Nations matches.
When a match build‑up starts around 7:30pm and coverage continues past 9pm, there simply is no space left in the linear schedule, so both soaps are dropped rather than moved to very late slots.
A quick example: earlier this week, Emmerdale was taken off on Tuesday so ITV could show an EFL Cup clash, before briefly returning to normal on Wednesday.
Now, barely a day later, the repeat disruption is back, and that on‑off pattern is what many regular viewers are finding most frustrating.
Instead of a predictable weeknight rhythm, the schedule feels slightly unstable, especially for those who prefer watching live rather than catching up on streaming.
What Time Would Emmerdale Usually Air – and When is It Back?
On a normal weekday, Emmerdale airs at 8:00pm on ITV1 in the UK, forming the first half of ITV’s weeknight “soap power hour.” Under the current setup, new episodes also land early on ITVX at 7am on the same day, which means many viewers catch up over breakfast or during a commute before the TV broadcast.
That blend of early streaming and fixed evening slot has been key to the show’s strong performance, with Emmerdale helping to drive record streaming numbers across ITVX.
Tonight is different: Emmerdale does not air at 8pm, and there is no same‑day new episode dropping just for this disrupted Thursday.
Instead, the next fresh episode is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 6 February 2026, back in its regular 8pm slot on ITV1, with the episode available from 7am on ITVX for those who like to be ahead.
Recent storylines have been particularly intense, including a standalone episode where Cain Dingle receives a life‑changing prostate cancer diagnosis, and the break in transmission tonight may feel especially jarring for anyone following that arc closely.
Many viewers now keep a simple mental routine to avoid confusion:
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Check ITVX or the ITV website in the morning to see if a new episode has dropped.
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Glance at a TV listings guide if there is a big football or rugby night advertised.
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That small habit often saves the “why isn’t Emmerdale on tonight?” frustration just before 8pm.
What About Coronation Street Tonight?
Coronation Street is also not on tonight, Thursday 5 February 2026, and is missing from its usual 8:30pm to 9pm slot on ITV1. Like Emmerdale, Corrie is being bumped because of live sports coverage that overlaps the whole “soap power hour,” leaving no room for the usual half‑hour.
For viewers who rely on routine, this means an unexpected gap right after the 8pm window, where normally the cobbles would pick up the pace with their latest drama.
Under the most recent schedule changes, Coronation Street is designed to air every weekday from 8:30pm to 9pm, with new episodes landing at 7am on ITVX each morning.
That shift, introduced from early January 2026 as part of ITV’s push for a more consistent “soap power hour,” turned Corrie into a true Monday‑to‑Friday regular again rather than just three nights a week.
Tonight is an exception to that pattern, not a permanent change; the show returns to screens tomorrow, Friday 6 February, at 8:30pm, with the episode available from 7am on ITVX and on YouTube for those who like catching up on phones or tablets.
A common real‑world scenario now is viewers opening ITVX in the morning, spotting that a new Corrie episode is waiting, and watching it then so that the evening disruption on ITV1 matters far less. That flexibility has softened the blow of nights like tonight, even if the live broadcast still feels like the “proper” way to watch for long‑time fans.
How Often Are Emmerdale and Coronation Street Being Disrupted Lately?
Disruption has become noticeably more frequent in early 2026, especially around big football and rugby weeks, and it is affecting both Emmerdale and Coronation Street together.
Since ITV launched the new “soap power hour” in January, several evenings have already seen the soaps taken off air entirely, usually in favour of high‑profile matches such as Carabao Cup semi‑finals or Six Nations fixtures.
One recent example saw both shows dropped to make room for Newcastle United vs Manchester City in a cup semi‑final, with coverage running from 7:30pm to after 10pm.
ITV executives have presented the power‑hour model as a way to simplify viewing and reduce confusion about shifting slots, promising a clear 8pm–9pm block every weekday.
However, major live events remain a priority in scheduling because they bring in large simultaneous audiences and significant advertising value, so the soaps are still vulnerable on nights like tonight.
Industry commentary has noted that, even with occasional cancellations, the combination of nightly slots plus daily early releases on ITVX has boosted overall soap viewing, with Coronation Street and Emmerdale together contributing over 100 million streams in recent reporting periods.
In simple terms:
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On a standard weekday, expect Emmerdale at 8pm and Coronation Street at 8:30pm, plus both on ITVX from 7am.
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On big match nights like tonight, be prepared for both to be missing from ITV1 and to rely on catch‑up instead.
For viewers planning an evening, checking a TV guide or a trusted entertainment news source by late afternoon now makes a real difference, especially when following ongoing storylines such as Cain’s health battle in Emmerdale or the latest twists on the cobbles.
Disclaimer: The TV schedules and timings mentioned are based on currently available information and may change at short notice due to programming decisions or live events. Viewers are advised to check their local listings or official broadcaster platforms for the most up-to-date details.
