Which Soaps Will Be Axed First Odds: Corrie, Emmerdale And EastEnders In Danger

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Which Soaps Will Be Axed First Odds: Corrie, Emmerdale And EastEnders In Danger

British soap operas have suffered a ratings decline for years now, such is the nature of how TV is consumed nowadays, but recent developments have sparked fresh fears about the future of our beloved serial dramas. 

Speculation has been rife on betting sites that one of the big three soaps, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street could be nearing the end, following a huge statement by ITV. 

The channel has announced plans to slash its soap scheduling - with both Corrie and Emmerdale set to lose one episode a week by 2026. 

The shows will move to a new scheduling pattern in January 2026, which will see a "soaps power hour" take place from Monday to Friday. 

It means Emmerdale will air 30-minute episodes at 8pm, and Corrie will air half-hour-episodes at 8.30pm. 

Which Soap Will Be Axed First Odds: 

Soap

Odds

Probability

Emmerdale

10/11

52.4%

EastEnders

11/8

42.1%

Coronation Street

2/1

33.3%

However, the main talking point is that both soaps will effectively lose an episode a week under the new scheduling, as ITV cut its soap opera output from six hours a week to five. 

That's because Corrie currently airs three hour-long episodes a week, and Emmerdale airs four 30-minute episodes and one hour-long episode. 

It's a worrying development in Soapland following the recent axing of BBC daytime show Doctors, Australian soap Neighbours - which made a miraculous comeback soon afterwards - and 00s departees Brookside, Crossroads and Night and Day. 

Which soap will be left on the cutting room floor next? 

Keep Calm And Corrie On 

ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo has said reducing the channel's Coronation Street and Emmerdale output from six hours to five hours will "have an impact for the people who work on the soaps team". 

There had already been speculation about cutbacks after Corrie stars Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) and Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley) recently announced upcoming departures

Corrie's Sally Ann Matthews also hinted at a possible financial squeeze, after ranting on social media that ITV has "no money". 

However, Corrie super-fans have reason to be the most positive of the three shows. 

Recent viewing figures from a weekly top 50 shows table by Barb Audiences - who compile TV ratings in the UK - from January 20 to 26 featured Coronation Street as the only soap in the top 10. 

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All three of the show's episodes that week made the top 15, with the Wednesday (January 22) episode attracting more than 4.6 million viewers, and their Monday and Friday eps that week had more than 4.4 million apiece, placed 13th and 11th respectively. 

It was a similar story the week before - January 13 to 19, 2025 - when Corrie episodes were 11th, 12th and 13th, while the five Emmerdale eps were placed between 17th and 26th, and EastEnders between 23rd and 30th.

Of course, Corrie viewers do have a slight advantage in that they only have to sit down to watch the Weatherfield goings on for three nights a week, compared to four lots of Albert Square action, and five visits to the Yorkshire Dales. 

Despite the recent episode and character cuts, Corrie still holds the record as the longest-running existing TV soap after it was first broadcast in 1960. 

It is a huge part of TV history, and there would surely be outrage if ITV axed Coronation Street in the near future. 

Out of the big three, it looks the least likely to fall by the wayside anytime soon and is 2/1 on betting apps to be culled next. 

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Dales Danger 

One way Corrie could even flourish would be if Emmerdale was axed. 

Dales super-fans may wince at the prospect, but out of the two ITV soaps, Emmerdale looks the most likely to be dropped at 10/11

The show started life as Emmerdale Farm, but the calm and tranquil farmyard life soon gave way to death and destruction in the fictional Yorkshire village. 

As well as being Corrie's younger sibling, Emmerdale also hasn't performed as well ratings-wise lately. 

From January 20 to 26, Emmerdale's Monday, Wednesday and Friday episodes attracted more than 4.1 million viewers, with 18th, 19th and 22nd placings in the top 50 table, while the other two episodes also broke the four million barrier, with Tuesday, January 23 and Thursday, January 25. 

It doesn't look like going anywhere fast just yet, but Emmerdale fans may be looking over their shoulders more than Corrie and EastEnders supporters. 

Emmerdale hasn't won Best Soap at the Inside Soap Awards since 2017, with the following seven years shared between Corrie and EastEnders with three apiece, while Hollyoaks won in 2019. 

However, Emmerdale did win Best British Soap at the 2022 British Soap Awards. 

Following that, EastEnders was victorious in 2023 and there wasn't a British Soap Awards, which airs on ITV, last year. Read into that what you wish. 

Ender The Road For BBC Show? 

As the reigning Best British Soap at the British Soap Awards, should EastEnders fans be concerned about a possible show axe? 

Ratings-wise it doesn't look great for the BBC soap, but there is some positivity. 

Of the Barb figures from January 20 to 26, EastEnders' best episode of that week was Tuesday, January 21, when four million viewers tuned in.

It placed 26th in the top 50 shows of the week, while Wednesday 22's was 27th, but it dipped just under the four million mark. 

The episode on January 20 (Monday) attracted more than over 3.5 million, one million less than Corrie's top episode of that week. 

However, EastEnders should see an upturn for the upcoming 40th anniversary week, which begins on February 17 and features an hour-long live episode. 

EastEnders also performed well last Christmas.

Gone are the days when the show was being watched by more than 30 million on Christmas Day 1986, which still holds the record as the most-watched soap episode ever, but EastEnders aired two episodes on Christmas Day 2024 and both were in the top 10 of the 50 most-watched shows that day.

The second of the night - when Cindy Beale was left for dead - attracted more than 5.5 million viewers, while the first dipped just under that figure.

In contrast, just over 4.4 million watched Helen Worth bow out of Corrie as soap stalwart Gail Platt, and Emmerdale's Christmas Day episode attracted just under 3.5 million. 

Unlike Corrie and Emmerdale, EastEnders are yet to announce any schedule cuts this year, but the BBC wouldn't exactly be getting into the party spirit if there were any doom-and-gloom announcements in the lead-up to the soap's 40th birthday. 

EastEnders is 11/8 to be the first of the big three soaps to perish like one of its outgoing characters. 

However, it's not all disappointment in Soapland. 

While some are making cutbacks, the big three soap operas seem to be here to stay for now, at least. 

There always seems to be plenty of destruction in Albert Square, Weatherfield, and the Yorkshire Dales - but fans will be desperately hoping that remains on the screen rather than off it. 

* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.

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