The pause button was pressed for the UK on Monday (March 23rd), with Boris Johnson announcing a lockdown for the country to help prevent the spread of coronavirus – and the effects are being felt by everyone from big businesses to lone individuals.
Where the nation’s soap operas are concerned, studios are now shutting down production and filming as the pandemic continues, with Metro reporting that Hollyoaks, Eastenders, Casualty, Holby City, River City, Doctors and Pobol y Cwm have all ground to a halt for now.
Hollyoaks is the latest to announce the closure, with cast and crew informed of the situation on March 22nd. The soap had already gone down to three episodes a week but the latest move comes after the government brought in extra measures to ensure self-isolation and social distancing, including closing gyms, theatres and pubs.
A Hollyoaks spokesperson said in a statement that a new series of Hollyoaks Favourites is about to begin, with Jorgie Porter and Kieron Richardson. Viewers will be given a chance to rewatch some of the soap’s biggest episodes, as well as some the biggest and best stunts.
“We will start the series with Mercedes’ fourth wedding, to Dr Browning. Soaps are an important part of people’s lives and we have 25 years of Hollyoaks Favourites to revisit over coming weeks, celebrating the history of the show that you love,” the representative said.
ITV show Coronation Street has also shut up shop for the time being, as has Emmerdale. According to the BBC, numerous popular programmes have now been suspended by the broadcaster, with Loose Women set to show repeats and Lorraine Kelly taking a spot in the Good Morning Britain studio instead of hosting her own show.
Elsewhere, Ant and Dec presented Saturday Night Takeaway without a studio audience in situ, with a stripped-back film crew involved. Interestingly, the latest episode drew in the biggest ever TV audience since the first series back in 2002, with an average of 9.5 million viewers.
Of course, it’s not just the small screens that have been affected and big movie cinema releases have also been delayed or cancelled, such as No Time to Die, the latest Bond movie, which was supposed to be coming out in April but has now been pushed back to November.
And Wonder Woman 1984 was expected to reach cinema screens at the start of June but it seems that superhero fans will have to wait until August at least before they can see Gal Gadot back once again as the princess of the Amazons.
Disney has taken a bit of a hit as well, with Mulan, Antlers and The New Mutants all postponed until later in the year.
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