ITV viewers have slammed the channel as the service crashed – stopping them watching The British Soap Awards 2025.

Soap fans were tuning into watch the awards ceremony, which was meant to start at 8pm.

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But the programme was delayed by seven minutes with just a message from the broadcaster and a black screen.

The message read: “We’re sorry for the disruption.”

Fans were quick to take to social media with their complaints.

One wrote: “What the hell is going on ? Will it ever come on?”

A second said: “Oh dear looks like we got major problems on ITV1.”

A third commented: “Well, I guess I am not watching The Soap Awards on ITVX. What’s going on?”

Despite the delay, the ceremony, which was filmed earlier this week, kicked off with Jane McDonald hosting for a second year.

It comes after Coronation Street were brutally snubbed at the awards as they failed to pick up any of the previously announced awards at this year’s ceremony.

The annual soap event made a return this year after ITV mysteriously axed the contest in 2024.

But it was bad news for Coronation Street as the programme suffered a devastating loss after managing to bag just the specially curated Outstanding Achievement Award which went to Roy Cropper star David Neilson.

The show failed to secure wins in any of the main panel or viewer-voted categories amid ITV’s ongoing cash crisis and the mass cast exodus at the soap over the past six months.

Its ITV counterpart Emmerdale also faced a crushing blow ahead of the impending ITV schedule changes which will see 30 minutes worth of each programme cut a week from January 2026.

BBC rival EastEnders swept the board after collecting a total of eight gongs in its 40th anniversary year – more than double its nearest rival, Channel 4’s Hollyoaks who got three awards.

EastEnders was awarded Best Soap after its huge live episode and anniversary week which saw Anita Dobson return as Angie Watts and Martin Fowler killed off in the arms of his love, Stacey.

It was certainly not the only award that they picked up with actress Lacey Turner receiving the trophy for Best Leading Performer ahead of her impending exit from the show.

The 40th anniversary also managed to clutch the Scene of the Year thanks to Angie’s shock return.

Steve McFadden a won a trophy for Best Dramatic Performance as Phil Mitchell but did not attend the ceremony with Angela Wynter and Rudolph Walker also receiving prizes as Patrick and Yolande – beating Corrie fan favourites Lisa Swain and Carla Connor, affectionately known as Swarla, to the Best On-Screen Partnership award.

The Walford based soap also collected the Comedy Performance gongs and Villain of the Year.

In a major blow to Coronation Street, only David Neilson picked up the Outstanding Achievement Award as Roy Cropper which was presented to him by by his on-screen wife Julie Hesmondhalgh.

British Soap Awards 2025: Winners List

Here’s who took home trophys at the 2025 British Soap Awards

Best Single Episode – Eastenders: Phil’s Psychosis: The Mitchells In 1985

Best Young Performer – Emmerdale – Amelia Flanagan as April Windsor

Scene Of The Year – Eastenders: Angie Watts’ Shock Return

Best Newcomer – Hollyoaks: Isabelle Smith as Frankie Osborne

Villain Of The Year – Eastenders: Navin Chowdhry as Nish Panesar

Best Family – Hollyoaks: The Osbornes

Best Dramatic Performance – Eastenders: Steve McFadden as Phil
Mitchell

Best On-Screen Partnership – Eastenders: Rudolph Walker & Angela
Wynter as Patrick & Yolande Trueman

Outstanding Achievement Award – Coronation Street: David Neilson

Best Comedy Performance – Eastenders: Patsy Palmer as Bianca Jackson

The Tony Warren Award – Emmerdale: Mike Plant

Best Storyline – Hollyoaks: Sibling Sexual Abuse

Best Leading Performer – Eastenders: Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater

Best British Soap – Eastenders

Hollyoaks managed to win three awards with Isabelle Smith winning as Best Newcomer with The Osbourne family taking home Best Family and the sibling sexual abuse storyline being named Best Storyline.

Emmerdale managed just two awards with Amelia Flanagan beating her Corrie star brother Will to the Best Young Performer prize.

Mike Plant, one of the show’s camera operators, picked up the prestigious off-screen Tony Warren Award accolade for his contributions to the soap behind the scenes.

ITV’s crushing defeats come amid a period of unrest backstage at the shows.

Both Corrie and Emmerdale have lost a number of stars over the past 12 months amid cuts at the channel.

In particular, Coronation Street has faced increasing criticism of its far-fetched storylines and dwindling viewer interest in many of its plots.

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