Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson, known for his role as Jim McDonald, expressed his concerns after ITV made cuts to its soap schedule.
A former Coronation Street actor revealed that he would be “surprised” if soaps such as Coronation Street, EastEnders, and Emmerdale were still on air a decade from now.
Charlie Lawson, best known for playing Jim McDonald on the iconic ITV soap, joined GB News to talk about the upcoming changes to the soap schedule set for January 2026.
The broadcaster has recently announced that ‘Corrie’ and ‘Emmerdale’ will adopt a new scheduling format on ITV1, featuring a “soaps power hour” from Monday to Friday.
Under this new plan, ‘Emmerdale’ will air 30-minute episodes at 8 p.m., while ‘Corrie’ will follow with half-hour episodes at 8:30 p.m. Both soaps will have one less episode per week as part of the schedule change.
When asked for his opinion, Charlie remarked, “The way we watch TV has changed completely – I now pick and choose what I watch. Back when I was on Corrie, we would have between 12 and 22 million viewers tuning in.”
He continued, “I’m not shocked they’ve reduced it. […] I believe Corrie, ITV, and Emmerdale rely on revenue. It’s not about the quality of the shows.”
“It’ll be a sad time – people from my generation grew up with these soaps, and you get completely immersed in the storylines. It would be a significant loss for the UK.”
Episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale will still be available on ITVX at 7 a.m. before airing on ITV later that evening.
Kevin Lygo, ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, stated: “The new commissioning approach is driven by the preferences of our viewers. We already offer more choices than ever through ITVX, and we want to present their favorite soaps in the most accessible way possible.
“In a competitive landscape where viewers have many options and their viewing habits are evolving, we believe this is the right number of episodes for fans to keep up with their favorite shows within their schedules.
“Research also reveals that soap viewers are increasingly drawn to the fast-paced storytelling of soaps.”
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