Coronation Street and Emmerdale confirm shorter Christmas episodes this year
Coronation Street and Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale will have less screen time than usual on Christmas Day this year.
Newly-released schedules for the festive season have confirmed that both ITV soaps will only air for 30 minutes each on Monday, December 25.
The shows' usual tradition is to broadcast hour-long specials on Christmas Day, but ITV has taken a different approach this year.
Corrie will air for 30 minutes from 7pm on ITV1 on Christmas Day.
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Emmerdale will screen in an earlier slot at 6.30pm, also for 30 minutes.
Coronation Street's episode will be its shortest Christmas edition since 1997, which was the last time the show had a 30-minute slot on the day.
Meanwhile, Emmerdale last had a 30-minute Christmas slot in 2004.
Fans needn't worry too much about missing out, as Corrie will still have three-and-a-half hours' worth of screen time from Monday, December 25 to Sunday, December 31.
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This is partly because Corrie will be screening episodes on days that it doesn't usually air in a regular week – Tuesday, December 26 (Boxing Day) and Sunday, December 31 (New Year's Eve).
Emmerdale also has three-and-a-half hours' worth of content screening between Monday, December 25 and Sunday, December 31 – including hour-long specials on December 27 and 28.
Coronation Street's producer Iain MacLeod recently tipped the show's Boxing Day episode as one to watch out for, as it features Chris Gascoyne's departure from the role of Peter Barlow.
MacLeod said: "It all builds up to this incredibly surprising Boxing Day episode. There's a huge two-hander between [Peter and Carla] – more or less they are the only two cast in the episode.
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"It's a greatest hits compilation for those of you that have been big fans of Peter and Carla since the start. It picks over every single detail of who they are, what they've been as a couple, what they want for their future and what happiness looks like for them.
"It's building towards an exit for Peter, which is really brilliant and bittersweet and feels like Corrie at its very best."
Meanwhile, Emmerdale's producer Laura Shaw commented: "Heading up to Christmas, we've got some exciting plans but I have absolutely, definitely been sworn to secrecy on this one!
"What I can tell you is that, in the last couple of years, we've done a light, fluffier Christmas for Emmerdale, but this one is quite different in tone.
"A lot of it is edgier for us for Christmas. I can tell you that definitely not every one of our villagers will be sat down eating their turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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