3 days agoLatest NewsComments Off on Coronation Street and Emmerdale slash episodes in huge soap shake up amid ITV budget cuts
ITV is dramatically slashing its soap schedule as Coronation Street and Emmerdale struggle under a cash crisis.
Corrie currently airs for three hour-long episodes a week, whilst Emmerdale is four 30 minute episodes and one hour-long.
Helen Worth has also quit Coronation Street
Now just five 30-minute episodes of each show will air.
A source said: “Soaps are incredibly important to ITV and this is about preserving their longevity for the future.
“There has been a super squeeze in production costs and it was necessary to make changes but Corrie and Emmerdale both remain integral to ITV .”
They will screen a “soap power hour” as two back-to-back 30 minute episodes.
It will also air later in the day.
Insiders at the channel say it will help make both Emmerdale and Coronation Street more “streaming-friendly”.
It comes after a string of big name stars quit Coronation Street and many have called out the budget crisis which has left them struggling to make ends meet.
The new structure will launch with a huge stunt on both soaps.
A source added that ITV will still broadcast more hours of soap each week than any other channel.
Currently, Emmerdale airs six episodes per week, Monday to Friday with a double episode on Thursdays.
Coronation Street also airs six episodes per week, spread across Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with two episodes each night.
Schedules can sometimes change due to special events or seasonal adjustments.
3 days agoLatest NewsComments Off on ‘Some people don’t see it’ – Stephen Hendry opens up on health condition that forced him into snooker retirement
STEPHEN HENDRY has opened up on the wrist condition that caused him to retire from snooker.
The Scottish snooker icon, 56, hung up his cue last summer after turning down a two-year tour card.
GettyStephen Hendry retired for a second time last summer[/caption]
This was the second time Hendry had call it quits, initially retiring in 2012 before returning in 2020.
The seven-time world champion struggled to achieve big results upon his return, calling it a day amid frustration with his performances.
Opening up on his snooker exit, he said: “Let’s be honest, I wasn’t pulling up any trees, was I?
“I was a little bit surprised with how good the standard was, but I’ve just got so many other work commitments, I won’t be able to dedicate enough time to practising.
“I know the game inside out, I still know all the shots, but unfortunately the body is not performing like my brain wants it to.”
Hendry then opened up on suffering with “the yips”.
The yips involves involuntary muscle spasms and can affect players in other sports including darts and golf.
Hendry added: “If I didn’t have the yips and I could play, I would still play.
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“I can’t go through the ball properly and I can’t wait at the back.
“There are certain shots I know I can’t pot and they can be the easiest pots in the world or easy positional shots. I hate it.
“I don’t know where it came from. Some people don’t see it but it’s horrible and that’s why I retired.”
It was long believed that suffering from the yips was always down to performance anxiety.
But further research has shown that it can be linked to a neurological condition called focal dystonia.
Hendry now works as a commentator and pundit for the BBC.
PAHendry, 56, now works as a pundit on the BBC[/caption]
3 days agoLatest NewsComments Off on Parents are racing to Aldi’s middle aisle to snap up the perfect sleepover bargain – and you get change from a fiver too
PARENTS have been racing to Aldi for a middle aisle bargain that’s perfect for sleepovers – and they’re also getting change from a fiver.
Mum Danielle explained she’d popped along to her local store and spotted the epic buy as she perused the shelves.
Parents have been racing to their nearest Aldi in search of this £3.99 airbedExtremeCouponingAndBargainsUKThe beds make the perfect sleepover addition to a roomExtremeCouponingAndBargainsUKExtremeCouponingAndBargainsUKAs other mums shared pictures of their kids snoozing on the bed[/caption]
Kids even appear to enjoy lounging about on the comfy bed when they’re at home tooExtremeCouponingAndBargainsUK
3 days agoLatest NewsComments Off on Children among 12 people rushed to hospital after ‘terrible blaze’ at Tyrone house as man rescued from roof arrested
SOME 12 people were to hospital following a horror house fire in Co Tyrone overnight.
Eight PSNI officers were treated for smoke inhalation, two children – aged 7 and 10 – are in a stable condition and two woman are understood to be critical following the blaze.
Emergency crews received a call about the horror fire in Dungannon at around 8.30pm on Monday night.
The PSNI confirmed that officers led five people, including two children, safely from the home on Cunninghams Lane.
Four people trapped in the home were rescued by fire officers on ladders from neighbouring properties, with a fifth person found on the roof and brought to safety.
District Commander, Superintendent Peter Stevenson said: “Our colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service contacted us just after 8.30pm to advise that they were turning out to a report of a house fire with children trapped.
“Officers immediately made their way to the scene, arriving prior to Fire Service colleagues.
“The property was seen to be well alight, and as such, knowing that the residents were still inside, officers obtained ladders from neighbouring properties and used them to rescue four people.
“A fifth person was found on the roof, and brought to safety.
“Fire Service extinguished the blaze, which has caused extensive damage.”
Four people were brought to hospital, two women aged 37 and 70 both remain in a critical condition.
Two children, aged 7 and 10, are said to be in a stable condition.
The man discovered on the roof, 21, has since been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
He is currently in police custody.
Eight PSNI officers were also brought to hospital for smoke inhalation but have since been released.
‘UNDOUBTABLY TRAUMATIC’
Superintendent Stevenson continued: “Eight local policing officers were taken to hospital for treatment for the effects of smoke inhalation. Thankfully, all were released in the early hours of the morning.
“While I am extremely proud of their actions, my thoughts, and those of all of us in the Police Service, are with those who remain in hospital today.
“We want to thank the residents of Cunninghams Lane for their assistance with this terrible incident, which was undoubtedly traumatic for all involved.
“The community will continue to see the presence of the emergency services in the area throughout today, as we proceed with our investigation into the cause of this fire.
“We would appeal to anyone with information to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1668 of 03/02/25. We would be particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have relevant CCTV, doorbell or other footage.”
The PSNI has confirmed that the road has now reopened following an overnight closure.
Eight PSNI officers were also brought to hospital for smoke inhalationPA:Press Association
