EastEnders rescheduled due to FA Cup fourth round coverage between Sunderland and Fulham - when soap will air

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
The FA Cup has already impacted the ITV schedule, and will now slightly interfere with EastEnders, just hours after it was revealed that the soap was named as having its best ever year of viewing on BBC iPlayer

The BBC schedule will be slightly askew next week, with EastEnders’ airing times differing due to coverage of the FA Cup. The fourth round replay match will see Sunderland take on Fulham again after the sides recent draw.

This comes as EastEnders was named as having its best ever year of viewing on BBC iPlayer, racking up a total of 366 million times streamed, proving that their hard-hitting storylines clearly gripped viewers. And, EastEnders can most likely expect similar viewing figures this year with many high profile and emotional storylines to take centre stage in Walford in the coming months, such as Lola’s death and more.

It’s not the first soap to be impacted by the FA Cup. Twice this year, the UK’s longest running soap, Coronation Street has seen its schedule heavily impacted due to coverage between Arsenal and Oxford and Manchester United v Everton on ITV.

Schedule changes were also commonplace for multiple shows including Waterloo Road and more across ITV and BBC, due the World Cup coverage that was held in Qatar. The tournament culminated a week before Christmas, allowing for a regular schedule to resume.

When will EastEnders air on BBC One?

The game between Fulham and Sunderland, held at the Stadium of Light, will air on BBC One at 7:30pm on Wednesday February 8, meaning the show has been cancelled for that evening. EastEnders will still air in its usual slots on Tuesday (February 7) and Thursday (February 9).

EastEnders will continue to air as usual at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer for the week ending Friday, February 3.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.