What time is Emmerdale on tonight (Thursday)? Get up-to-date schedules and changes here
You don’t need to miss a minute of Emmerdale with our handy guide
The drama is ramping up again in this week’s Emmerdale as John tries to cover his tracks over Nate, and Steph prepares for surgery – but at what time is Emmerdale on tonight, Thursday, May 1?
With football, rugby and other special shows, ITV tends to shift the soap schedule round to accommodate them. But we’ve got you covered with all the up-to-date schedule changes right here.
What time is Emmerdale on tonight?
On Thursday, May 1, 2025, Emmerdale will air at the usual time of 7.30pm on ITV.
The episode is already available on streaming service ITVX. It is normally released there every weekday at 7am.
What happens in Emmerdale on Thursday – Steph in meltdown
After Caleb and Ruby stopped her surgery going ahead, Steph is in the depths of despair. Unable to cope, she smashes up the kitchen.
Ross then arrives to console her, but she lashes out at him with a torrent of abuse. He takes it all, despite her stooping really low in her attack. But then, ashamed of herself, she grabs a bottle of vodka and flees. Is she about to do something stupid?
Elsewhere, Cain can’t believe Nate would abandon his daughter and with Moira’s encouragement not to give up, he makes a decision: he’s going to Shetland to find Nate. But how will John react?
Also, Evan is rushed to hospital and Billy feels overwhelmed with guilt. Dawn convinces him it’s not his fault, but will he take her comforting words the wrong way?
Emmerdale powering ahead as schedule set to change again for 2026 ‘power hour’
In October 2024, Emmerdale announced they were going to start streaming the daily episode of the soap from 7am. Despite some concerns that it meant the soap was in trouble, coupled with lots of cast exits, it has been revealed that actually it was a great move by ITV.
Stats for the first quarter of 2025 revealed that ITVX has achieved a ‘record-breaking’ billion streams in a quarter for the ‘first time ever.’ Coronation Street and Emmerdale have raked up 124 million streams on ITVX so far this year. Soap viewing is up 35 percent in comparison to the first quarter of 2024. So it seems fans are really enjoying the 7am uploads.
It’ll soon be all change once again for ITV and Emmerdale in 2026 after the soap announced a new schedule. The soap ‘power hour’ will start from next January.
Emmerdale will continue to air five nights a week. New episodes will also drop on ITVX every morning at 7am as usual – meaning we don’t have to wait all day if we don’t want to!
However, the soap will move to a new time slot of 8pm. The Thursday double bill will also be cut to half an hour to make way for additional episodes of Coronation Street.
This ensures faster-paced, digestible episodes – a 30-minute format which has already proven popular with viewers.
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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