BBC Adds Eastenders To Fridays

The BBC has put an end to months of press speculation by announcing that Eastenders will be shown four nights a week. From 10 August an extra episode will show on Fridays at 8pm.

Controller of BBC1, Lorraine Heggessey, said: “Quality popular drama is one of the lynchpins of BBC1 and a fourth episode of Eastenders will annually introduce an additional 26 hours of sharp, relevant drama into the schedule. The addition of this episode will provide a strong launch pad for many of the other innovative and exciting projects currently in production as a result of the increased funding that BBC One has recently received.”

The extra episode is expected to start a ratings war with ITV, which currently shows Carol Vorderman’s Star Lives at 8pm on Fridays. The show attracted 6.5m viewers and a 35.3% share last Friday, a figure which is expected to be drop significantly as people switch over to BBC1 after Coronation Street finishes at 8pm.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk

Subscribers can access further information on the BBC and other TV stations by selecting “Television” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.