Soap fans have been left devastated this weekend, following reports that ITV is axing The British Soap Awards. According to The Sun, the annual event will not be returning to our screens due to budget cuts.
With events like the BAFTAs and the National Television Awards also including soap performances, the broadcaster has reportedly decided to shelve the standalone Soap Awards indefinitely, though an ITV source said: "No decision has been made yet."
Digital Spy has reached out to ITV for comment.
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The news comes after it was announced that the long-running award show would not be taking place this year, with no reason given for the cancellation. Prior to this, the ceremony was skipped in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, and again in 2024 for an unknown reason.
Following the break in 2024, The British Soap Awards did make a comeback last summer, with Jane McDonald returning as host for the second time. On the night, EastEnders secured a number of huge wins including Best British Soap, Best Leading Performance (Lacey Turner), Villain of the Year (Navin Chowdhry), Best Comedy Performance (Patsy Palmer), Best Dramatic Performance (Steve McFadden), and Best Scene (Angie's return as a ghost).
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The ceremony reportedly pulled in 1.5 million viewers that year, which has left fans confused and "gutted" about the sudden axing. They argued that soap actors and crew deserve recognition within the industry for all their hard work.
"Awful decision. Soap actors are honestly some of the best in the business and they deserve recognition. The BBC better snap it up instead," said one on Twitter/X, with another pointing out: "The fact the soap awards have been axed indefinitely despite the fact the current era of soaps is the most popular they've been in years."
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A third wrote: "If this is true, I am GUTTED. I went to the Soap Awards in 2023 & 2025 and I have the most incredible memories from them. It's also so important to credit the actors & crew that work so hard on these stories. Fly high, Soap Awards."
"So gutted to hear about the British Soap Awards being axed. Some of my best memories and my best friendships stemmed from those awards. It was always such a wonderful way for our favs to get recognition in an industry that they're criminally underrated in. Sad day," added a fourth.
A fifth agreed: "Genuinely gutted to hear about the Soap Awards. I've been lucky enough to go numerous times over the years and it's always such a special time with my friends. The soaps, their stories and their cast and crews deserve the recognition."
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