Coronation Street to move from Wednesdays – after nearly 50 years

ITV is to break with nearly 50 years of broadcasting tradition and shift Coronation Street from Wednesday to Thursday night as part of a major overhaul of its popular drama schedule.

Coronation Street, which has been broadcast on Wednesday night since ITV's flagship soap launched in December 1960, will move later this month, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.

The broadcaster wants to turn Thursday night into its popular drama powerhouse, with a schedule shakeup in which The Bill will move to a new 9pm slot - after two episodes of Emmerdale and one Coronation Street. Coronation Street will shift to Thursdays at 8.30pm as part of the scheduling reshuffle.

Emmerdale's hour-long Tuesday episode will be cut by half, with an extra 30-minute instalment of the Yorkshire-based soap scheduled on Thursdays at 8pm. A 30-minute Emmerdale episode already runs at 7pm on Thursdays.

The Bill, which is shrinking from two episodes a week to one and being given a makeover to make it edgier for its new post-watershed slot, will follow Coronation Street on Thursdays. Currently, the Thursday night schedule has The Bill in the 8pm hour.

These changes, which begin from the week commencing 20 July, are being implemented to clear Wednesday nights – where Coronation Street is at 7.30pm and The Bill at 8pm – to make way for more live football.

ITV's new contract for the Uefa Champions League, which starts from the new season in August and runs until 2012, will see ITV1 broadcasting its pick of Wednesday evening matches rather than Tuesdays fixtures, as had been the case. Live coverage of England internationals and FA Cup replays are also shown on ITV1 on Wednesdays.

Moving Emmerdale out of the 7.30pm slot on Tuesdays will also mean it no longer clashes with EastEnders on BBC1, giving soap fans a clear run to watch both. The new-look ITV1 Thursday night schedule allows viewers to switch to EastEnders at 7.30pm.

An ITV spokesman said: "Coronation Street will make a move from Wednesday to Thursday nights on ITV1 from 23 July as part of a change to the schedule to reflect ITV's contracts for the Champions League, FA Cup and England internationals, which will see ITV1's live football broadcast on Wednesday evenings.

"In addition, two separate episodes of Emmerdale will be broadcast on Thursdays from the same date. We're delighted that Thursday evenings on ITV1 will be a great showcase for soap from Weatherfield and the Woolpack."

The revamped Bill, which is being repositioned as a post-watershed drama for the first time in its 25-year history, will begin its run in its new 9pm slot on Thursdays from 23 July with a double episode special, concluding the following night.

Changes to the continuing series include high definition filming with a musical score, new title credits and theme music.

"We haven't sought to totally reinvent The Bill, but we have wanted to create a more immersive experience for our viewers," said the show's executive producer, Johnathan Young.

"We're digging deeper into characters to tell stronger and more challenging stories which really examine the true causes and effects of crime. The later timeslot allows us to produce darker, grittier and more hard-hitting drama, through the eyes of our existing characters. The heart of the show will remain the same, but it will look very fresh."

Sergeant Callum Stone (played by Sam Callis) and PC Ben Gayle (Micah Balfour) will be the first characters to tread the streets of Sun Hill in the new 9pm timeslot, leading the action into the first big storyline, titled Live by the Sword, which features a 15-year-old boy who is critically injured following a knife attack on an estate.

Viewers will get the first taste of the new-look show through a national ITV marketing campaign, including billboard posters and on-air trails.

The new-look ITV1 schedule

Tuesday 7 July/Tuesday 21 July (subject to change)

7pm: Emmerdale/Emmerdale

7.30pm: Emmerdale/You've Been Framed! (usually factual series)

8pm: Homes From Hell/Send in the Dogs (usually factual series or entertainment)

9pm: Ladette to Lady/Car Crime UK (usually factual, entertainment or drama)

Wednesday 8 July/Wednesday 22 July

7pm: Emmerdale/Emmerdale

7.30pm: Coronation Street v Grime Fighters or football

8pm: The Bill/new Midsomer Murders or football or drama/movie/factual

9pm: Trial and Retribution/new Midsomer Murders

Thursday 9 July/Thursday 23 July

7pm: Emmerdale/Emmerdale

7.30pm: Countrywise/Countrywise

8pm: The Bill/Emmerdale

8.30pm: The Bill/Coronation Street

9pm: Trial and Retribution/The Bill

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