Why are Emmerdale and Coronation Street not on tonight? Absence from TV schedule explained

Once again, soaps pushed to the sidelines as football takes priority (Picture: ITV / Getty) Soap fans hoping for their usual midweek trip to Weatherfield and the Dales are in for some disappointment tonight, as both Coronation Street and Emmerdale have been dropped from ITV’s schedule. The two soaps will be missing from screens tonight (Wednesday, September 16) due to live football coverage taking over ITV1 for the evening. Instead of the latest drama from the cobbles and village, ITV will broadcast Manchester United’s Carabao Cup clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford. Coverage of the third-round tie begins at 7.30 pm, with kick-off scheduled for 8 pm, and the programme continuing until 10.25 pm. That means there simply isn’t enough room in the schedule for either Emmerdale or Coronation Street. And unfortunately for fans who normally get ahead of the television broadcasts by streaming the soaps, there’s no way to watch tonight’s missing instalments early either. Neither show will release a new episode on ITVX or YouTube today, meaning viewers really will have to wait for their next soap fix. Plenty of drama lies ahead for soap fans this week (Picture: ITV) When are Emmerdale and Corrie back on TV? Thankfully, it won’t be a particularly long break, with both shows returning tomorrow (Thursday, September 17). And there’s plenty of drama waiting for viewers when we head back to Weatherfield. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Recent Coronation Street episodes have seen Jodie Ramsey continue targeting her sister Shona Platt. Jodie has held resentment towards Shona since arriving on the cobbles, having felt abandoned by her older sister during their childhood. She has since been getting increasingly close to Shona’s husband David and niece Lily while quietly creating problems within the family. Her manipulation took a particularly sinister turn when she used exhausted new mum Shona’s vulnerability against her. Jodie has been pulling the strings in Corrie (Picture: ITV) Jodie secretly switched on the oven while Shona slept, leaving her sister horrified when she woke and believed she had almost caused a fire. She then went even further by pouring boiling water into baby Harper’s bath. Shona was once again left believing she was responsible, but Jodie’s latest plan didn’t quite have its intended effect. Rather than turning against his wife, David showed compassion towards Shona and became convinced she desperately needed a break. The situation is set to continue causing concern, with Shona’s increasingly erratic behaviour leaving David worried while Jodie continues to meddle from the sidelines. Elsewhere in Weatherfield, Kit Green encourages Bethany Platt to explore the possibility of romance with Ryan Connor following their own secret fling. There is equally huge fallout waiting for Emmerdale viewers when the soap returns. Sarah finally tells Jacob the truth (Picture: ITV) Jacob Sugden was recently left devastated after Sarah finally came clean about the truth surrounding baby Leyla’s parentage. As if that revelation wasn’t enough to process, Sarah also told him what happened in the events surrounding Dr Todd’s death. The bombshells left Jacob with some enormous decisions to make. Sarah later returned home to discover that both her husband and the baby were gone, leading her to fear Jacob had disappeared for good. He eventually came back after taking some time away to think about what his future might look like, but whether he can forgive Sarah and give their relationship another chance remains to be seen. Elsewhere in the village, Charles Anderson attempts to support a grieving Nicola King, while Billy Fletcher confronts Joe Tate over his intention to arrange a private funeral for the late Dawn Fletcher. Deals of the Day An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind Book Val d'Isère, Val Thorens and Tignes for less in Club Med's ski sale Save 25% on red light therapy masks, sauna blankets and sleep gadgets in Bon Charge sale The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder So, while tonight may be unusually quiet for soap fans, there’s certainly no shortage of drama waiting when Coronation Street and Emmerdale return to ITV1 tomorrow, Thursday, September 17th. The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.