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UPDATED: Christmas Soap Schedules 2008
Well, here we go again for another year of soapy scheduling. Like last year, this page will be updated as soon as new scheduling information becomes available. So until you see the words 'all schedules are final' at the end of the 'updates' section, they're not confirmed.
Any clashes between the four main soaps are highlighted in RED, while any episodes which are not of their usual length or time are highlighted in bold font.
Five's Aussie soaps will continue as normal until the week before Christmas. Neighbours' final episode of 2008 will air on Thursday, December 18, while Home and Away goes on hiatus the following day (Friday, December 19). Both shows will return to air on Monday, January 5.
Doctors, meanwhile, will be on air until Friday, December 19, before taking a two-week break, returning to screens on Monday, January 5.
So what's the tally of soap hours this year? Well, at the moment, we're supposed to be having 6.5 hours of Emmerdale, 6 hours of Corrie, 5.5 of EastEnders, 4 hours of The Bill, 3 hours of Casualty and 2 hours of Holby City. That's a lot of drama, no?
UPDATES:
Fri, Nov 28 at 1440: ITV's draft scheduling has been added but is entirely provisional at this point. BBC schedules are also provisional.
Fri, Nov 28 at 1500: Channel 4's provisional Hollyoaks scheduling has now been added.
Mon, Dec 1 at 1415: ITV have made no changes in their latest schedules.
Tue, Dec 2 at 1155: Emmerdale's boxing day episode has been moved to 1830. BBC scheduling updated.
Tue, Dec 2 at 1630: ITV scheduling is now final.
Tue, Dec 2 at 1805: BBC scheduling is now final.
Saturday, December 20
2010 - Casualty (50 mins)
Sunday, December 21
2100 - Casualty (1 hour)
Monday, December 22
1800 - Hollyoaks (1 hour)
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
2000 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2030 - Corrie (30 mins)
2100 - The Bill (1 hour)
Tuesday, December 23
1800 - Hollyoaks (1 hour)
1900 - Emmerdale (1 hour)
1930 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2000 - Holby City (1 hour)
2100 - The Bill (1 hour)
Wednesday, December 24
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
1955 - EastEnders (35 mins)
Thursday, December 25
1800 - Emmerdale (1 hour)
1900 - Corrie (1 hour)
2000 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2100 - EastEnders (30 mins)
Friday, December 26 - 30-minute Clash
1830 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1830 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
2000 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2030 - Corrie (30 mins)
Saturday, December 27
2040 - Casualty (50 mins)
Monday, December 29
1830 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
2000 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2030 - Corrie (30 mins)
Tuesday, December 30 - 30-minute Clash
1830 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1900 - Emmerdale (1 hour)
1930 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2000 - Holby City (1 hour)
Wednesday, December 31
1830 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
2000 - The Bill (1 hour)
Thursday, January 1
1800 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
No Corrie
1930 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2000 - The Bill (1 hour)
2030 - EastEnders (30 mins)
Friday, January 2
1830 - Hollyoaks (30 mins)
1900 - Emmerdale (30 mins)
1930 - Corrie (30 mins)
2000 - EastEnders (30 mins)
2030 - Corrie (30 mins)
And the schedules should be back to normal from Monday, January 5.
What do you think of this year's soap schedules? Let me you’re your views using the usual form below!
> Click here to see last year's scheduling
| Posted Tuesday, December 2 at 18:05 by Kris | Click to see and add comments (2) |
Bonus clickables
> NEW! Soap of The Year 2008 - Click for your chance to vote for your soap of the year!
> Soap Movers Table - track all the joiners, returnees and departees in soapland
> Soaps Player - video previews of EastEnders and The Bill along with interviews with all your favourite soap stars
> RSS Feed - add Soap Scoop to your desktop, browser or website
| Updated today at 18:06 |
Bonus Scoop: 'Enders Patsy Palmer
Last night, I attended EastEnders' Christmas screening and this year, there's a mix of emotion, high-drama and comedy, including the Mitchell/Slater paternity revelation, Jim's return, Suzy causing havoc in The Vic, little Tiffany singing Christmas carols, Heather needing a good ol' Xmas dinner and Bianca struggling to come to terms with her situation in the wake of Tony's betrayal.
Over the coming weeks, I'll have 'Enders interviews with Larry Lamb (Archie), Charlie Brooks (Janine), John Altman (Nick Cotton) and Rob Kazinsky (Sean). For now, though, here are some additional quotes from my recent interview with Patsy Palmer.
Here, Patsy talks Shona McGarty, Chris Coghill, Ricky and Bianca and what's to come (sort of) in 2009.
What's it been like working with Shona and Chris?
"Chris is fantastic. He came in and felt like he was doing a service to people in this situation. He's such a great actor. I feel very blessed that I've been able to work with him on this storyline. And Shona - I love her to bits. We have a really good bond with each other. I'm quite protective over her as an actress, too. She plays the role brilliantly, you really see the little girl in the character."
Do you think Bianca and Ricky are destined to be together now?
"They'll always be destined to be together. The longer they keep them apart, though, the better. It shouldn't always be Bianca being horrible to Ricky, though. He really loves her! A few little twists along the way would be good. Bianca gets jealous really easily. He's the love of her life."
What can we expect from Bianca in 2009?
"Well, I'm not allowed to tell you this really, but Brad Pitt's coming into the show and she's going to have an affair with his character! No, in all seriousness, the storyliners really do bring in some fantastic twists when you least expect them. Just when you think it's all over… "
| Posted Tuesday, December 2 at 11:49 by Kris | Click to see and add comments (0) |
Windass Street arrival, 'Hollyoaks' mugging
First up this week, we head to Coronation Street, where the Windass clan - Eddie (Steve Huison), Anna (Debbie Rush), Gary (Mikey North) and Len (Conor Ryan) - arrive on the Cobbles and take root in the Mortons' old house.
After ridding themselves of Teresa (Karen Kenthorn), who decides to barricade herself in the house and claim squatter's rights, they come face-to-face with the Platts. It's not exactly the welcome the Windasses had expected, but Anna hopes she can set the situation straight with Gail (Helen Worth) as soon as possible and suggests that both families go for a drink. David (Jack P Shepherd), Joe (Reece Dinsdale) and Tina (Michelle Keegan) aren't pleased in the slightest. 
These scenes air on Monday, December 8 at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV1.
Meanwhile over in Emmerdale, David's (Matthew Wolfenden) furious with the choir's performance and decides to tell them all about Nicola's (Nicola Wheeler) involvement in the church scheme, before ending their relationship. Will David and Nicola be able to resolve their differences? More importantly, will Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy) be able to forgive Nicola?
These scenes air on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm on ITV1.
Hollyoaks' Gilly (Anthony Quinlan) comes face-to-face with Gaz and fellow gang of hoodies in a fortnight's time. They decide to 'teach him a lesson' after the way Gilly treat them earlier in the day outside Relish. Gilly's professional approach prompts Ash (Junade Jhan) to reward him with a managerial position over Zak (Kent Riley).
As Gilly's closing up Relish for the night, Gaz and his cronies watch on. Catching him unawares, the gang mugs Gilly of his belongings and Relish's takings for the day. While Gilly's being attacked, his best mate Zak is watching from the bushes... 
These scenes air on Wednesday, December 10 at 6.30pm on Channel 4.
And finally, Dot (June Brown) accidentally cops an eyeful in EastEnders at the beginning of next month when a homeless person called Tim drops into the Launderette.
After speaking to him for a while, Dot quickly realises that she's lucky that her husband Jim (John Bardon) is still alive following his stroke. With Bradley's (Charlie Clements) stash of cash to-hand, Dot decides to put the money to good use and hands Tim £20.
If you're wondering where the money came from, Bradley unintentionally won thousands on a horse race using the money his father Max (Jake Wood) gave him for his birthday. Wanting to rid himself of the money because of who it came from, Bradley asked Dot to look after it for him.
I wonder if the cash will become part of the bigger Walford picture? 
These scenes air on Monday, December 8 at 8pm on BBC One.
| Posted Sunday, November 30 at 13:20 by Kris | Click to see and add comments (1) |
Bonus Scoop: Corrie's Alison King
I recently caught up with the fabulous Alison King, who plays Carla Connor in Coronation Street, to chat about her latest storyline.
Click here for the main interview.
However, if you've been wondering about Carla's friendship with Leanne; Carla's screen family, including her brother, Darren; and when Alison finishes filming before she goes on maternity leave, then read on.
I've asked a number of people about Carla's brother Darren and have had the same response - they'd all love to have him around. Corrie's producer Kim Crowther also mentioned him last month in my interview with her.
We already have a clear picture of who he is and where he is currently. If you don't know, Darren is currently residing in Strangeways prison serving an eight-year sentence at her Majesty's pleasure for armed robbery.
So I'll make a bold statement here and now - we'll be seeing Darren at some point in 2009.
And if Alison has her way, I think we'll meet Carla's sister, too. Don't forget to let me know your views on the potential casting below.
For now, here are those extra bits:
At one point, Carla hated Leanne. Are you surprised at the producers making them pally?
"No, not at all. They're quite similar. Before when they were friends, they were trying to out-do each other and show each other who was the best with a business. Then Leanne crossed Carla [by sleeping with] with Paul, so they didn't speak for six months. Leanne did go up to Carla a couple of times and try to make friends, but Carla wasn't having any of it. Eventually, Carla had the crisis with Liam and when Leanne tried to make friends again, they both realised that they're close whether they like it or not. Leanne's a good confidante and says it how it is. I think it really works actually."
Would you like to see Carla's brother Darren turn up in Weatherfield?
"Yeah, for sure. I think she's got a brother who's absolutely brilliant with her. I think he'll be stunningly charming, but a complete minger inside. He'll be as rough as old boots because Carla's mum was rough, too. Carla's from a really rough family, but she's tried to put all that behind her. It'd be good to have someone there like Darren who wants to sponge off her or embarrass her all the time. Or maybe he just loves her to death and idolises the ground she walks on? I also think Carla could have a sister that she's not spoken to for years."
When are you due to finish filming?
"Around Christmas time."
Can you give us any clues as to how Carla's going to leave?
"No way, José! "
You must be proud to have become such an established character in such a relatively short period of time?
"Yeah, it's brilliant. I've been really fortunate to have storyline after storyline. I suppose the sad thing about that is that my boys keep leaving me! I don't think that's anything to do with me, though! It's been great to play, every which way. It's allowed me to show a bit of range, which is always good in a soap. All the storylines I've had just keep adding new layers to Carla as a character."
Let me know your views on the above using the usual form below!
| Posted Tuesday, November 25 at 06:00 by Kris | Click to see and add comments (5) |
It's Revelation Week in Soapland
It's revelation week in the soaps at the beginning of December, as the lives of some of our favourite soap characters take dramatic turns for the worse.
You just know that the scenes below will come back to slap those involved in the face somewhere down the line. And what better time than over the Christmas and New Year period?
Carla (Alison King) and Tony (Gray O'Brien) are to tie the knot in a fortnight's time, and while Maria (Samia Smith) continues to struggle with Liam's death, she's completely taken aback with Sally's (Sally Whittaker) revelation.
When Carla makes numerous snide remarks about the Websters, Sally decides she's had enough of her attitude towards her the family and takes it upon herself to tell Maria exactly what her beloved husband and his sister-in-law were up to behind her back.
Maria doesn't believe Sally's story, but when Rosie appears, Sally grabs her phone and plays Maria the video of Carla and Liam kissing. Rushing to confront Tony, will Maria catch him in time before he heads off on his honeymoon?
As I reported earlier in the week, the scene where Maria's searching for Tony has some great incidental music - Green Day's 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)'. 
These scenes air on Wednesday, December 3 at 7.30pm on ITV1.
Meanwhile, over in Hollyoaks, Mandy (Sarah Jane Dunn) has a revelation of her own for Louise (Roxanne McKee) - she admits that she's been having an affair with Warren (Jamie Lomas).
A numb Louise listens on as Mandy confesses that she and Warren have been sleeping together for months and were even planning on starting a new life together away from the village. An enraged Louise slaps Mandy across the face, before Mandy delivers some home truths of her own.
These scenes air on Thursday, December 4 at 6.30pm on Channel 4.
EastEnders, meanwhile, sees seductive Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill) reveal to a dumbfounded Phil (Steve McFadden) that she's pregnant.
Since Suzy knows about Phil's one-night stand with Shirley (Linda Henry), she goes out of her way to make Phil feel as guilty as possible. However, with Shirley seemingly the love of Phil's life, Suzy realises that she's going to have to up her game if she's going to keep hold of him. With her vindictiveness at its peak, Suzy decides that the only option is to tell Phil she's carrying his child.
Trapped and with nowhere to run, Phil struggles to come to terms with the news. Will he want to keep the baby? More to the point, is there even a baby at all? One thing's for sure. Revelation is on the menu over Christmas dinner this year at The Vic. Remember that 'series of controlled explosions' I mentioned a couple of months ago?
These scenes air on Tuesday, December 2 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
And finally, to Yorkshire, where Ross (Samuel Anderson) and Donna's (Verity Rushworth) affair is finally rumbled in Emmerdale. With Donna assuming that Shane (Paul McEwan) has told Marlon (Mark Charnock) about her extra-marital activity, Ross comforts her - just as Paddy (Dominic Brunt) walks through the door.
Fuming that his cousin could betray his friend, Paddy punches him in the face and demands an explanation. After throwing Ross out, Paddy pleads with Donna to reconsider. Donna, however, insists that she loves Ross. Will she ever pluck up the courage to tell Marlon?
These scenes air on Wednesday, December 3 at 7pm on ITV1.
Let me know your views on the above storylines using the usual form below!
| Posted Sunday, November 23 at 06:00 by Kris | Click to see and add comments (2) |
