Why is EastEnders not on tonight, January 17?

EASTENDERS fans tuning into their favourite soap will disappointed to find out it isn’t on tonight (January 18, 2023).

Instead the BBC One programme is being replaced by something else.

Why isn’t EastEnders on tonight?

EastEnders fans will be disappointed to discover the BBC soap will not be shown tonight (January 18, 2023).

The soap isn’t airing to make way for the FA Cup game between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool FC.

The match is a third round replay between the two teams, who originally played 10 days ago.

That match ended in a 2-2 draw after Wolves substitute Hwang Hee-Chan equalised in the latter stages of the game.

EastEnders isn’t the only BBC One show to be cancelled.

Waterloo Road and Silent Witness have also been taken off air this evening.

When will EastEnders return to TV?

EastEnders will air its tonight’s episode TOMORROW (January 18, 2023) instead at 7:30pm on BBC One.

But if you can’t wait until then you’ll be pleased to know that you can stream the episode from 6am tomorrow on the BBC iPlayer.

Waterloo Road will then air straight after EastEnders, in its usual 8pm slot.

But if you’re desperate to know what happens next in the BBC school-based drama then you can head over to iPlayer right now, where the whole of the new series is available to binge.

Silent Witness will also air tomorrow night at 9pm on BBC One,

When did the first ever episode of EastEnders air on the BBC?

EastEnders has been the staple of early evening viewing for many years now.

When the BBC One soap broadcast their first ever episode on February 19, 1985, 13 million viewers tuned in.

It began with a bang as, Arthur Fowler, Ali Osman and Den Watts forced their way into Reg Cox’s flat and found Reg near death. .

EastEnders was created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland as a soap opera to rival Coronation Street and draw big audiences to BBC One.

Set in the fictional Borough of Walford, E20, it focuses on the lives of working class east end Londoners.