Coronation Street episodes rescheduled for next week

Friday night's episode of Coronation Street will be dropped following the shootings in Cumbria, ITV has announced.

It is the third episode to be pulled as a result of the killings.

The soap had been due to feature a siege involving guns, resulting in two characters dying.

ITV said it would show double episodes of Coronation Street next week, allowing viewers to catch up before the World Cup.

A spokesman for the channel said: "We apologise to ITV1 viewers for the interruption... but, against the backdrop of Wednesday's tragic events in Cumbria, it would have been inappropriate to broadcast these episodes this week."

There were supposed to be six episodes of Coronation Street this week instead of the usual five, as a plot centred Tony Gordon's escape from prison unfolded.

Preview information released last week revealed that Gordon, who is played by Gray O'Brien, would be seen exacting his revenge on those he believes have wronged him.

Monday, 7 June, 1930 BST. Episode displaced from Wednesday, 2 June.

Monday, 7 June, 2030 BST. Episode displaced from Thursday, 3 June.

Wednesday, 9 June, 2000 BST. Episode displaced from Friday, 4 June.

Wednesday, 9 June, 2030 BST. Episode displaced from Monday, 7 June.

Thursday, 10 June, 2000 BST. Episode displaced from 2030 Monday, 7 June.

Thursday, 10 June, 2030 BST. Schedule returns to normal.

In addition, an episode of Emmerdale which had been scheduled for 2000 BST on Thursday 10 June will now be shown half an hour earlier.