THE One Show is set to air bumper extended episodes as Eastenders is slashed to just 20 minutes.
After nearly three months away, the BBC soap will return to our screens on 7 September.
The long-running soap will be reinstated on our televisions with a new 20 minute format, instead of the normal 30 minutes – with episodes being shown four times a week.
The One Show, which is hosted by Alex Jones, will be extended to fill the ten minute gap that is left by Eastenders’ shorter episodes.
Emmerdale and Coronation Street’s episodes currently only last 22 minutes but are filled out with adverts on ITV.
The One Show will broadcast from 7pm to 7.35pm on days that Eastenders airs to allow the soap to slot into the schedule.
This will continue until the soap is back up and running with its usual 30 minute shows.
Kate Oates, the BBC’s head of continuing drama, said: “As things change, we’ll change our approach. But at the moment, this is what’s best for the show and best for us.”
The bosses have shortened the episodes to help get back on air with four episodes sooner than expected.
Things are slowly returning to normal for the residents of Walford, which can only mean one thing – drama will follow.
BBC bosses have teased fans with a new date and revealed that everyone “can’t wait for ‘series two’ to begin”.
Having been off air due to the Covid-19 pandemic that swept the world, things have certainly changed for those living on Albert Square.
The cast have been spotted filming socially distanced scenes and giant transparent plastic screens have been installed on the set.
Bosses of the BBC One Soap have also hired extras from Covid isolation bubbles, allowing them to adhere to social distancing rules.
Executive producer Jon Sen said: “To reflect the world outside, we use support artists from the same household.
“We have supporting artists who are in a house of students or a husband and wife, who can be seen walking together and can kiss in the street.
“For those really crucial moments where two characters kiss, we’ve invited real life partners of the actors onto the set to cheat those kinds of moments.”
Sen added: “With Perspex screens, you can bring people really close together.
“That’s good because it gives an intimacy to the performance.
“We also use plate shots, where two actors look like they are sitting at the same table but they have been filmed in isolation.
“You put the shots together.”
Producers have admitted the return on September 7 after the break, the first its 35-year history, is being treated as a “second series” with new storylines.
Sen said: “We’re putting a lot of emphasis on getting people up to speed on where the characters have been during lockdown and what’s been happening.”
