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 and Coronation Street fans hoping for another visit to the village tonight will be left disappointed, as ITV’s ever-changing schedule strikes again, so are the soaps on at all on Thursday, July 9?
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.
Is Emmerdale on tonight? Is it on ITVX?
On Thursday, July 9, Emmerdale will not air on ITV. 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 installments 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.
Both ITV soaps will return on Friday July 10 for double-bills, so we can catch up on the missed episodes.
The BBC are doing a better job keeping EastEnders ticking over, despite showing Wimbledon as well as the World Cup. They have been shunting the soap around over on to BBC2 to make sure it keeps airing. Today it once again airs on BBC2 in its usual slot of 7.30pm.
The good news for soap fans across both channels is that the World Cup Final will be played on Sunday July 19. Meanwhile, Wimbledon will air it’s women’s final this Saturday (July 11) and the men’s on Sunday (July 12).
So it looks like the schedule disruption will be all over by Monday July 20. Until the next sporting fixtures hit, that is!
What happens in Emmerdale tomorrow?
Someone has ransacked the café and Nicola points the finger firmly at Kev. Lewis confronts him and Kev denies having anything to do with it. But soon further evidence puts him back in the firing line.
Lewis feels let down. Kev desperately tries to make Lewis see he’s not behind this and would never do it when he’s there to build a relationship with him, but will Lewis listen? And who did it?
Elsewhere, Billy shows concern for Gabby when he finds her upset. Sparks fly between them, but when she moves in for a kiss, he pulls back. Gabby rushes off, mortified. But will Billy change his mind?
Also, Serena is still fishing for information on Nate’s murder. Moira makes it clear she does not trust her. So what is Serena really up to here?
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.
