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The British Soap Awards 'axed' and 'won't be returning' amid ITV budget cuts

The British Soap Awards have been a staple of the British awards season since 1999, celebrating the best of UK soap operas, such as EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale

["The British Soap Awards 2025" logo displayed prominently against a dark and moody backdrop with red accents. The bold, white text features the event title and the year, set against a black background with red vertical lines creating a dynamic visual effect.]

The British Soap Awards have been a staple of the British awards season since 1999(Image: ITV)

The British Soap Awards has reportedly been 'permanently cancelled' and will never grace our screens again.

The programme had already been shelved by ITV for 2026, but the broadcaster has now quietly axed it indefinitely as part of sweeping budget reductions, according to reports.

The British Soap Awards have been a cornerstone of Britain's awards calendar since 1999, honouring the finest moments from UK soap operas including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

The ceremony was last broadcast on television in 2025, with Jane McDonald taking hosting duties. This followed a year-long hiatus, drawing 1.5million viewers to the programme.

The 2026 ceremony had already been put on ice. However, an insider has now claimed to The Sun that the awards will be shelved indefinitely: "Sadly, the soap awards have had their day and won't be returning. It's a real shame but they no longer pull in the advertising or sponsorship money anymore. It won't be back. It's dead in the water."

[Jane McDonald dressed in a pink gown stands at a podium on a stage, possibly engaged in a speech or presentation. The stage features a modern design with geometric shapes and colorful lighting.]

The British Soap Awards has reportedly been 'permanently cancelled' and will never grace our screens again(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

They explained that competing programmes such as the BAFTA TV Awards or the National Television Awards already feature soap categories, meaning "they don't need their own event anymore", reports the Mirror.

The British Soap Awards have been absent from television multiple times in recent years. They ran yearly from 1999-2020, before being suspended for two years during the pandemic.

The programme made a comeback in 2023, skipped 2024, and returned once more in 2025. An ITV spokesperson told The Sun that "no decision has yet been made". The Daily Star has contacted ITV for further comment.

[The Corriedale logo]

The British Soap Awards have been a cornerstone of Britain's awards calendar since 1999, honouring the finest moments from UK soap operas

It comes as the broadcaster is currently grappling with a raft of budget constraints. The financial pressures have already compelled daytime TV programmes to relocate to fresh filming facilities and shake up transmission schedules.

Lorraine has been trimmed from an hour to 30 minutes, while Loose Women now broadcasts for just 30 weeks annually rather than 52.

Revealing the alterations earlier last year, Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV's Media and Entertainment Division, explained: "Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.

"These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever."

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