Emmerdale will not air at 8pm tonight, here’s why and when it’s back
There is huge disruption to Emmerdale's schedule coming this week
Emmerdale fans hoping for another visit to the village tonight may be left disappointed, as ITV’s ever-changing schedule strikes again. So, is the soap on Tuesday, July 7?
With football, rugby and other special programming continuing to shake up the TV schedules, keeping track of when your favourite soap is on has become something of a challenge. Luckily, here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s Emmerdale schedule and when the drama returns.
What time is Emmerdale on tonight? Is it on ITVX?
On Tuesday, July 7, Emmerdale will not air on ITV. Monday’s hour-long episode made up for tonight’s missing installment. Coronation Street is also absent from the schedules.
As there are no new episodes tonight, there will be no early release on ITVX or YouTube either. New instalments are usually available from 7am for fans who like to watch ahead of the evening broadcast.
The World Cup continues to cause disruption to the soap schedules, with this week’s line-up only recently being confirmed.
Now the tournament has reached the knockout stages, ITV and the BBC are sharing the matches between them. That means the schedules for Emmerdale and Coronation Street cannot be finalised until the football fixtures are confirmed. It’s certainly keeping viewers on their toes.
The good news is both soaps will return on Wednesday evening for their usual half-hour episodes, with Emmerdale airing at 8pm.
Some fans have suggested that if ITV brought the power hour forward, it could make it easier to keep the soaps on air when live sport takes over the schedules.
What happens in Emmerdale tomorrow night?
Kev is determined to build a relationship with Lewis, but after struggling to get through to his son, he reveals he changed his surname to Barton.
Explaining his tragic past, Kev insists he never wants to return to prison. He says he took the Barton name to protect Lewis from the Townsend family name.
Ross orders Kev to leave, but Lewis refuses to listen and tells Ross he wants to give his father a chance. Ross warns Kev not to let Lewis down.
Later, Kev and Lewis head to the pub together, much to Nicola’s annoyance. Ross tells Manpreet he’s convinced Kev will slip up eventually. Before long, a mystery intruder breaks into the café and steals the cashbox.
Elsewhere, Cain collects Monty from the vets and takes him out for a walk as he wrestles with what to do next. The situation makes him realise the irony that he’s so desperate to save Monty while refusing to help himself. Could this finally be the turning point Cain needs?
Soap power hour proves a success
In October 2024, Emmerdale began releasing each new episode on ITVX from 7am every day. While some viewers initially questioned the move and feared it signalled trouble for the soap, it was later revealed to have been a major success for ITV, with viewing figures increasing.
The broadcaster then introduced a brand-new schedule. The soap power hour launched in January 2026, keeping Emmerdale on air five nights a week while continuing the 7am ITVX releases.
As part of the changes, Emmerdale moved to an 8pm slot, while the Thursday double episode was replaced with a single half-hour instalment to make room for extra Coronation Street episodes.
The shorter episodes have helped create a faster pace that has proved popular with many viewers. Even so, major sporting events continue to play havoc with the schedule, meaning fans still need to keep a close eye on ITV’s listings.
