EastEnders viewers have taken to social media to vent their frustration after learning the show will not air on Friday and Monday evening. The BBC soap will be replaced by Six Nations Rugby Union as Wales face Ireland in the penultimate match of the championship on Friday, while next week, the primetime slot will be filled by Chelsea and Manchester United's quarter-final in the FA Cup. Despite the scheduling issue, EastEnders fans were treated to a double feature on Thursday evening. "No #EastEnders until Tuesday. How the hell am I going to cope," tweeted one fan, while another wrote: "No EastEnders for four whole days? That's going to feel like four whole years."
EastEnders viewers are furious after discovering the show won't show this Friday and Monday
STORY: Lisa Faulkner lands exciting new role in EastEnders
Meanwhile, show bosses recently announced that TV star Lisa Faulkner will be joining the cast of. The 45-year-old cooking extraordinaire, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, will appear on screen this spring as "stylish, sophisticated" businesswoman Fi Browning. Sharing her delight over the exciting new role, Lisa exclusively told HELLO! about the moment she found out she landed the dream gig. "I literally got a phone call from my agent saying that the producers would really love to meet me to come in and talk about something," she revealed. "I said, 'Ok' and they told me about this character and asked me if I'd like to play her. She's a great character, it's really exciting, and it was just one of those things you can't turn down. It always comes out of nowhere, these things, and you go, 'OK, let's jump in'."
Lisa Faulkner will play businesswoman Fi Browning in EastEnders
STORY: Lee Ryan joins EastEnders as bad boy 'Woody' Woodward
Last month, it was confirmed that Blue singer Lee Ryan is also set to join the show for a short stint to play bad boy "Woody" Woodward. "He's going to ruffle some feathers and obviously break some hearts, so there's a great deal to look forward to as soon as he bursts onto the square," said Sean in a statement at the time. "Lee is perfect casting for Albert Square and we knew straight away we wanted him for the role." EastEnders next airs on BBC One on Tuesday at 7.30pm.