ITV has confirmed the British Soap Awards will not air in 2024.
The network announced that the annual ceremony will take a one-year hiatus, returning to screens in 2025.
“The British Soap Awards won’t be on air in 2024 but is set to return in 2025,” ITV said in the statement.
Related: Coronation Street to air huge 2024 storyline for Carla Barlow’s nephew Bobby
“The show was fantastically received in 2023, achieving consolidated figures of 2.9 million and doubling its audience year on year, so we look forward to the show’s return,” the statement continued.
No reason for the decision was shared publicly.
The awards recognise off and on-screen talent from some of Britain’s best soaps including Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, and Doctors.
Related: 10 huge EastEnders spoilers for next week
This year’s ceremony took place on June 3 with former Loose Women star and singer Jane McDonald stepping in to host proceedings after This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield’s departure from ITV in May.
Coronation Street was the biggest winner at the 2023 awards, taking home six gongs on the night.
Weatherfield’s acid attack plot secured both Best Single Episode and Scene of the Year. Whilst Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy Midgeley, triumphed in the Best Dramatic Performance category after her work on the impactful story.
Related: Coronation Street‘s Bernie Winter to get arrested
Best newcomer went to Corrie‘s Channique Sterling-Brown (Dee-Dee Bailey), with Dame Maureen Lipman earning the award for Best Comedy Performance. Meanwhile, the Platts received the gong for Best Soap Family.
EastEnders wasn’t far behind with four wins at the 2023 ceremony. The BBC soap took the coveted title for Best Soap for the first time in 2015.
Actress Danielle Harold won the Best Leading Performer for her portrayal of Lola Pearce-Brown amid her character’s heartbreaking death from a terminal brain tumour.
Aaron Thiara (Ravi Gulati) picked up Best Villain, whilst Lillia Turner (Lily Slater) triumphed in the Best Young Performer category.
Hollyoaks received two awards, with casting director Peter Hunt recognised with the Tony Warren Award, which celebrates those who work behind the scenes. Eric Foster’s incel plot also won the Best Storyline award.
Emmerdale and Doctors both won one award each, which singled out individual talent from the show. Emmerdale‘s Mark Charnock took home the Outstanding Achievement award after more than 25 years on the soap as Marlon Dingle.
Meanwhile, Doctors stars Jan Pearson (Karen Hollins) and Chris Walker (Rob Hollins) won the Best On-Screen Partnership prize, after Jan’s shock departure from the show earlier this year.
The ceremony took place at London’s The Lowry hotel and aired live on ITV.
Acting Deputy News Editor, Digital Spy Emily is an experienced entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow. She joined Digital Spy as Acting Deputy News Editor in May 2023.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She’s interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB‘s Kate Garraway (who “loved” her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
