The British Soap Awards have been cancelled amid ongoing coronavirus crisis

The ceremony is usually held in summer, but will not be going ahead due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis currently sweeping the world.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the British Soap Awards told RadioTimes.com: "In light of the latest government health guidelines and in line with our priority of safeguarding the wellbeing of everyone involved in our programmes, production of The British Soap Awards will not go ahead as planned.

"The awards ceremony will return in 2021."

This year would've marked the event's 21st anniversary, and the second time the awards would be broadcast live on ITV following last year's ceremony.

With the UK currently in partial lockdown for the foreseeable future, the decision doesn't come as a surprise. It follows on from the announcement that filming for most of the awards' most commended TV dramas, including EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, has been delayed.

Not all is lost, however, as a programme celebrating the best in British soaps will air in place of the awards. It will be narrated by Phillip Schofield, who has been hosting the event since 2009.

"A brand new 60-minute programme called The British Soap Awards Celebrates 21 Years will air this spring, narrated by Phillip Schofield," the official statement confirmed.

We'll let you know as soon as a release date is confirmed.

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