‘Soap hater!’ Boris Johnson forces EastEnders and Coronation Street into TV clash as he chooses to address the nation at 8pm amid soaring Covid-19 cases
- The Prime Minister will make a televised address at 8pm on Monday
- Currently, BBC’s EastEnders will now air at the later time of 8.35pm
- This puts it in direct competition with ITV soap Coronation Street’s second episode which begins airing at 8.30pm
The Prime Minister will make a televised address at 8pm after coming under intense pressure to announce a new national lockdown amid soaring Covid-19 cases.
And Boris Johnson’s address to the nation has forced rival soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street into TV clash – although the BBC’s timings are subject to change to accomodate for the PM.
Currently, BBC’s EastEnders will now air at the later time of 8.35pm, meaning it will be in direct competition with ITV soap Coronation Street’s second episode which begins airing at 8.30pm.
Soap clash! Boris Johnson’s address to the nation at 8pm has forced rival soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street into TV clash – although the BBC’s timings are subject to change
Soap fans took to Twitter to voice their upset at the timing of Boris’ address to the nation, with one person tweeting: ‘WHY DOES THE CONFERENCE HAVE TO BE AT 8PM HE ALWAYS HAS TO RUIN THE ENTIRE EVENING.’
‘Apparently #Eastenders is on at 8.35pm tonight to allow for the speech from Boris Johnson. Therefore it will clash with #Corrie.’ wrote another
Another soap fan tweeted: ‘And has caused Corrie and Eastenders to clash! He is a secret soap hater…..’
‘EastEnders always seems to get bumped for Boris’s national addresses. Hope it’s not cos he’s a Corrie fan we don’t want him x,’ wrote someone else.’
Oh no! Currently, BBC’s EastEnders will now air at the later time of 8.35pm, meaning it will be in direct competition with ITV soap Coronation Street’s second episode
A head start: Corries’ second episode begins airing at 8.30pm just five minutes earlier
In his 8pm address, Boris Johnson will set out emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed.
The latest figures showed a further 407 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday and there were a record 58,784 more lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.
A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country.
‘The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives.’
Fuming! Soap fans took to Twitter to voice their upset at the timing of Boris’ address to the nation
Professor John Edmunds, who works on the Government’s coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), warned that ‘really major additional measures’ are needed immediately, with school closures being the ‘biggest lever’ available.
Earlier, Mr Johnson had said there was ‘no question’ that further action was needed and there would be ‘tough’ weeks ahead.
After a recommendation from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, the UK’s four chief medical officers said the UK alert level should increase to level five ‘in light of the most recent data’.
Emergency: In his 8pm address, Boris Johnson will set out emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed
In a statement, they said: ‘Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant.
‘We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.’
The latest public data show a 41% rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 3, figures which have caused alarm in Whitehall and the health service.
Ministers hope the Oxford vaccine – which is easier to distribute than the other approved jab from Pfizer/BioNTech – could provide a route out of the coronavirus crisis, but it could be months before sufficient numbers have received their first shot.
Further action: Earlier, Mr Johnson had said there was ‘no question’ that further action was needed and there would be ‘tough’ weeks ahead
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