ITV has officially confirmed that the British Soap Awards will not take place this year, marking the second occasion the ceremony has been shelved.
The annual celebration of soap opera talent, which honours programmes including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks, will be absent from screens, but no reason for the cancellation has yet been confirmed.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster told Radio Times: “The British Soap Awards is taking a break and won’t be on air in 2026.”
No explanation has been provided for the decision to pause the event, which first launched in 1999 with Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan at the helm.
ITV viewers have cited Coronation Street and Emmerdale crossover Corriedale as a reason this year’s British Soap Awards should be taking place
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The ceremony typically broadcasts during early summer and has become a fixture in the television calendar for soap enthusiasts across the country.
Jane McDonald has presented the awards since 2023, stepping into the role following Philip Schofield’s departure from the broadcasting channel.
The ceremony was previously cancelled in 2024, though ITV indicated at the time that it would make a comeback the following year.
When announcing the 2025 return, the broadcaster noted that the 2023 edition had been “fantastically received,” drawing consolidated viewing figures of 2.9 million and doubling its audience compared to the previous year.
Jane McDonald has been hosting the British Soap Awards since 2023
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Last year’s event took place at Hackney Empire in London, where EastEnders dominated proceedings with eight awards, including the coveted Best British Soap title.
Coronation Street secured just a single accolade on the night, with David Neilson receiving an outstanding achievement award for three decades portraying café owner Roy Cropper.
The cancellation has sparked considerable frustration among viewers, particularly those who felt the landmark Corriedale crossover deserved recognition at this year’s ceremony.
Social media users expressed their disappointment at the timing of the decision, with one fan writing on X: “No soap awards means no Corriedale special recognition who else up going insane.”
The worlds of the two ITV soaps collided in Corriedale last month
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ITVAnother viewer posted: “This is so sad. The impact of Corriedale was too strong.”
One particularly disgruntled fan commented: “This is incredibly disappointing and a let down. Especially after the groundbreaking #Corriedale soaps have had some amazing moments this past year. To not recognise that is actually quite s***.” (sic)
Others pointed out that the cancellation falls during Coronation Street’s 60th anniversary year, adding to the sense of missed opportunity for the ITV soaps.
The decision appears particularly striking given the remarkable success British soaps have enjoyed in recent months.
EastEnders’ Diane Parish at the 2025 British Soap Awards
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The Corriedale crossover, which aired in January, attracted 5.9 million viewers across television and streaming platforms, making it ITV’s most-watched programme of the month.
Both Coronation Street and Emmerdale recorded their highest monthly streaming figures ever following the special episode, with streams rising 48 per cent year on year.
January also proved to be ITV’s most successful month for streaming in the platform’s history, with Kevin Lygo, the broadcaster’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, crediting the soaps as instrumental to achieving this milestone.The two programmes now air in half-hour instalments every weeknight, with episodes also available on ITVX from 7am.Whether the ceremony will return in 2027 remains uncertain.
