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Emmerdale and Coronation Street axe 75 jobs as episodes are slashed in huge soaps shakeup
The news comes after a number of big names stepped away from Corrie
AS MANY as 75 people will lose their jobs on Coronation Street and Emmerdale after ITV announced plans to slash its soap schedule.
The channel will make an hour less soap content a week and air the much-loved programmes as two back-to-back, 30 minute episodes amid a budget crisis.
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It means 75 roles will be lost across cast, crew and writers, with redundancy talks now underway.
The teams were told last night that they needed to be on site this morning for a formal meeting, with the news reducing most to tears.
Around 600 people work across Corrie and Emmerdale.
The brunt of the job losses are likely to be felt in production.
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Currently, Emmerdale airs six episodes per week, Monday to Friday with a double episode on Thursdays.
Coronation Street also airs six episodes per week, spread across Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with two episodes each night.
Now just five 30-minute episodes of each soap will air.
Under the new changes, which will begin in January 2026, Emmerdale will air for half an hour every day at 8pm, followed by a half-hour episode of Coronation Street straight after at 8:30pm.
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It is being dubbed a soap “power hour”.
ITV boss Kevin Lygo said: “This new commissioning pattern will mean five hours of soaps a week, rather than the current six.
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“We are conscious this will have an impact for the people who work on the soaps team.
“We will support our colleagues in ITV Studios as they work through these changes, and will do what we can to mitigate the impact on our people."
He went on: “These changes are motivated by doing what we believe is best for the continuing success of these important programmes in the long term.
“They also create headroom in the overall programme budget for investment in programming that can help ITV grow reach in a very very competitive market.”
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Insiders at the channel say it will help make both Emmerdale and Coronation Street more “streaming-friendly”.
The new structure will launch with a huge stunt on both soaps.
A source added: “Soaps are incredibly important to ITV and this is about preserving their longevity for the future.
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“There has been a super squeeze in production costs and it was necessary to make changes but Corrie and Emmerdale both remain integral to ITV.”
It comes after a string of big name stars quit Coronation Street and many have called out the budget crisis which has left them struggling to make ends meet.
Coronation Street's 2024 shock exits
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza's grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon's been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she'll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
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