EastEnders fans have been left disappointed yet again as the soap opera has been axed from the schedule. Friday night’s episode has been cancelled to make room for Comic Relief.
The soap opera has already dropped several times this year – mainly due to the televising of rugby and football matches.
Fans were furious when it was replaced by sporting events. One Twitter user wrote: “Omg #EastEnders cancelled again.” Another added: “Seriously?! No EastEnders on Friday AGAIN?! @bbceastenders #EastEnders.”
A third user wrote: “Can’t football just stay on a sports channel so it never interrupts the soaps again?”
The BBC have previously defended their decision to drop EastEnders for other programmes. “BBC One is a mixed genre channel,” said a spokesperson.
There is a silver lining this week, however, as viewers will get to watch a double bill on Thursday.
EastEnders bosses are also facing another problem – they’ve been desperately trying to rewrite scenes to compensate for Danny Dyer’s absence from the show.
The actor, who plays Mick Carter, is taking time off from the show due to being “exhausted”. He recently took a four-week break in South Africa with his wife Joanne.
His character will miss the funeral of his grandmother. “It’s going to look very odd for Mick not to attend the funeral,” said a source. “But the writers are having to come up with some excuse as to why he cannot be there.
“We all know Danny comes first so the writers are working around the clock to tweak key stories.”
Friends and family were worried about the star. “The producers are concerned about him for a number of reasons,” a source told The Sun.
“It was clear to onlookers he appeared very drunk at the NTAs. It is best that he takes some time out to sort his life out.
“This is an enforced break that is expected to last a number of weeks.
“At the end of the day, he remains the biggest star of the show — so everyone is determined to get him back to his best.”