Emmerdale will not air at 8pm tonight, here’s why and when it’s back
Emmerdale fans hoping for their usual Friday night visit to the village are in for a surprise tonight, as the soap has vanished from the schedules once again.
ITV has been making regular changes to its soap line-up thanks to sport and special programming, and June is proving no different. If you’re wondering when Emmerdale is back on screen and whether you’ll be able to watch it on ITVX, here’s everything you need to know.
Is Emmerdale on tonight and can you watch it on ITVX?
On Friday, June 5, Emmerdale will not air in its usual 8pm slot on ITV. Coronation Street is also missing from the schedule, with both soaps taking the night off before returning on Sunday, June 7.
To make up for the disruption, ITV will air an extra episode of each soap on Sunday.
Because there is no new episode tonight, viewers also won’t find Emmerdale or Coronation Street available on ITVX or YouTube. New instalments are normally uploaded from 7am each morning, but there is no early release when an episode has been pulled from the schedule.
With football, rugby and other live events continuing to dominate parts of the ITV schedule, soap fans have become increasingly used to checking transmission times. Some viewers have even suggested ITV should move the soap power hour earlier in the evening to reduce the number of clashes.
What happens next in Emmerdale?
When Emmerdale returns on Sunday, Charity’s nightmare with Dr Todd takes a devastating turn.
Todd has made it clear she wants paying or she’ll expose Charity’s secret during Sarah’s 21st birthday celebrations. Backed into a corner, Charity eventually calls Todd’s bluff and dares her to reveal everything.
For a moment, it appears a truce may have been reached. Todd cannot bring herself to expose the secret and instead admits she enjoys the chaos surrounding Charity’s life.
But any peace is short-lived.
Todd soon turns on Charity and sexually assaults her, leaving Charity facing one of the darkest ordeals of her life.
Elsewhere, Kim shares her suspicions about Sam and Laurel with Lydia, prompting Lydia to confront her husband. At the same time, Laurel begins to worry that Ross is developing deeper feelings than she expected, leaving her with a difficult decision to make.
ITV’s soap power hour remains popular
ITV launched its new soap ‘power hour’ in January 2026. It keeps Emmerdale on air five nights a week while continuing the 7am ITVX releases.
The soap also moved to its current 8pm slot, while the former Thursday double bill was reduced to a single half-hour episode to allow for extra Coronation Street content.
The shorter format has proved popular with many viewers, offering quicker-paced episodes that are easier to fit into busy evenings.
One thing the schedule overhaul hasn’t solved, however, is the ongoing disruption caused by major sporting events. So for now, fans may still need to keep one eye on the TV guide before settling down for a night in the Dales.
