Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans may have to contend with a soap blackout in two months after filming was suspended. ITV have announced that they have taken the decision to halt production “until at least the early summer” due to the coronavirus crisis.
Both shows film six weeks in advance - and execs will eke out episodes for as long as possible by reducing the number they screen every week.
But even if they halve what’s currently on offer, they will run out in May meaning they are almost certain to disappear from our screens for a period of time.
There will be a race against time to turn things around when filming does re-start as bosses attempt to find a way to avoid a crisis.