EastEnders to postpone filming and reduce episodes during social distancing
It's so they can spread them out!
Show bosses over at EastEnders have announced plans to cease filming on the soap amid the Coronavirus. Not only will they be postponing the production of new episodes, but they'll also be spreading out the ones that they do have, so that people who are social distancing are still able to watch their favourite show.
This comes after the Government's updated advice, and bosses have released a statement to say that they will keep up-to-date with advice from Public Health England.
The statement reads, "In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice. The decision was made after the latest government update.
"We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England. We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible."
They also confirmed that the episodes will now air on Mondays at 8pm and Tuesdays at 7:30pm each week, skipping the usual Thursday and Friday episodes of the soap.
Fans of the soap were disappointed, but understanding of the decision, and took to Twitter to share their thoughts. One wrote, 'Ahhh man. Self isolation is gonna even worse now Face with tears of joy but wise decision to stop filming and space them out!' as another added, 'Completely respect your decision and hope everyone keeps well. Will miss seeing it as much.'
Scroll through to see which films have been pushed back:
No Time To Die
No Time To Die was supposed to be released on 10th April 2020, and was the first major film release to be pushed back due to the Coronavirus. Releasing a statement on Twitter, film bosses explained, 'MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020.'
However in October, it was later revealed the film would be put back until April 2021. In January 2021, the film was confirmed to have a release date of October 2021, and was later released in cinemas in the UK on 30th September 2021.
A Quiet Place: Part II
Director John Krasinski confirmed on 12th March 2020 that the sequel to his critically acclaimed film would not be released on 19th March 2020 as planned. He wrote on his social media pages, 'To all our A Quiet Place fans, one of the things I'm most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see all together. Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what's going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that.
'As insanely excited as we are for all of you to see this movie... I'm gonna wait to release the film til we CAN all see it together! So here's to our group movie date! See you soon! #AQuiet Place Part 2...Take 2. JK.'
The sequel was eventually released on 3rd June 2021.
F9
The ninth film in the Fast & Furious franchise was pushed back from its original release date of May 2020 to 2nd April 2021, and then 28th May 2021. The official release date was later 25th June 2021.
At the time, a statement from film bosses read, 'To our family of Fast fans everywhere, we feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga. That's why it's especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film. It's become clear that it won't be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May.'
Black Widow
The Scarlett Johansson-led Marvel film was due to be released in May 2020, but Disney made the decision to put it back to 7th May 2021. It was then released on 9th July 2021 in cinemas and on Disney+ with a premium fee.
Antlers
Produced by Guillermo Del Toro, the horror film starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons was set to be released on 17th April, however had to be given a new release date of 29th October 2021.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Sony announced on 30th March that they had decided to push back the release of their Ghostbusters sequel starring Paul Rudd and Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard from 10th July 2020 to 5th March 2021, and later moved it again to 11th November 2021. The film also featured original cast members Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Dan Aykroyd.
Morbius
Morbius, starring Jared Leto, is a film about a biochemist who becomes a vampire. It's a spin-off to Tom Hardy's Venom film and also has connections with Tom Holland's Spider-Man franchise. It was set to be released on 31st July 2020, but was pushed back to 19th March 2021, later being pushed again to 28th January 2022.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Speaking of Venom... The sequel to the 2018 hit would have been released on 2nd October 2020, but didn't actually see the light of day until 24th September 2021.
The Batman
Robert Pattinson's iteration of Batman was released on 4th March 2022, having originally been scheduled for 25th June 2021.
The King's Man
A prequel to Kingsman and its sequel, The King's Man was originally scheduled for release on 18th September 2020 but instead saw its cinematic release on 22nd December 2021.
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg's remake of the classic musical was originally slated for 18th December 2020, but wasn't actually released in cinemas until 24th September 2021.
EastEnders will now air on Mondays at 8pm and Tuesdays at 7.30pm until further notice.