BBC EastEnders change: Why is EastEnders not on tonight

The popular soap usually airs every evening from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm.

However, due to coverage of the World Athletics, EastEnders will not be shown on BBC One on Monday or Wednesday.

Instead, fans will get two hour long omnibuses on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm, when two episodes will be shown back to back.

For those who cannot wait for their Albert Square fix the iPlayer uploads will continue as normal.

The episode that would have been broadcast on Monday evening is currently available on the streaming service, while Wednesday’s episode will be available to stream from 6am on that day.

The change to the schedule comes the week after one of the soap’s new major storylines was revealed.

The BBC said the storyline will “follow Alfie and those around him as he discovers and comes to terms with his diagnosis”. (Image: PA)

EastEnders character Alfie Moon is set to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in a storyline the soap has been working on with the support of Prostate Cancer UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.

The two charities have been working with BBC EastEnders to ensure Alfie’s story is “authentic”.

Alfie is played by Shane Richie, who was introduced to one of Prostate Cancer UK’s supporters affected by the disease, which “gave him the opportunity to understand what it’s like to experience the disease first-hand”, the charity said.

The BBC said the storyline will “follow Alfie and those around him as he discovers and comes to terms with his diagnosis”.

EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw previously teased that there will be a “tough road ahead” for Alfie following the health update.

On Monday, Mr Clenshaw said: “When we first embarked on this storyline we knew it was imperative that we worked alongside Prostate Cancer UK and Macmillan Cancer Support to take on and accurately portray such an emotional and pivotal storyline for Alfie, and one that many viewers may relate to.

“Shane (Richie) has thoughtfully portrayed the realities of being diagnosed with prostate cancer with grace and understanding.

“We hope that this storyline resonates with the audience, and that we represent it as sensitively, and as accurately, as possible.”