A Running List Of The TV Shows, Films, Festivals And Events Hit By Coronavirus

From the Baftas to Bond, dramas to daytime, coronavirus is having a devastating effect on the entertainment industry.
|

The coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the entertainment industry, causing the cancellation of major events and leaving the future of others in doubt.

Film, television and music have all been hugely affected, with experts warning the cost of the crisis will total billions of pounds.

Among the most high profile casualties are the Glastonbury and Coachella music festivals, Eurovision and the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die.

Here is how the coronavirus has affected the entertainment industry, so far...

TV

Baftas

Open Image Modal
Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi/BAFTA/Shutterstock

This year’s TV Baftas have been postponed until later in the year, as a result of the pandemic.

A rep for Bafta said: “Following the latest government advice on coronavirus (Covid-19), we regret to announce that the British Academy Television Craft Awards and Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards, originally scheduled for 26 April and 17 May respectively, will be postponed until later in the year.”

The nominations for this year’s TV Baftas were due to be revealed on 26 March, but these will also be delayed “until closer to the ceremony”.

Saturday Night Takeaway

Open Image Modal
ITV

Ant and Dec hosted the final live episode in the studio – the first to feature no audience – on 21 March. 

The duo are finishing off the series by presenting from their respective living rooms, as they showcase classic Takeaway moments.  

BBC studio audiences

The BBC has confirmed that none of its shows will feature a studio audience “for the foreseeable future”.

“Following government advice all our studio audience shows are suspended for the foreseeable future,” they said in a statement. “Please do not attend if you have a ticket to one of our shows. We will not be accepting new ticket applications for the time being.”

The Graham Norton Show

Open Image Modal
PA

The team is still “standing by to make the new series”, which is due to return on 10 April at the new time of 9pm. 

Bosses have insisted it will still have the usual famous mix of star guests, jokes and stories, including the notorious Red Chair, which will be “relocated to the comfort of your own armchair at home”.

Question Time

The BBC’s current affairs panel discussion show will still go ahead, minus the all-important audience. Instead, questions will be taken via social media and it will air at the new time of 8pm on Thursdays. 

EastEnders

Filming on EastEnders, which is filmed eight weeks in advance, has been suspended.

Other BBC dramas Casualty, Doctors, Holby City, Pobol y Cwm and River City have also been paused.

EastEnders will now only air twice a week to ensure it remains on air for as long as possible, with new episodes on Mondays at 8pm and Tuesdays at 7.30pm. 

Coronation Street and Emmerdale

Open Image Modal
ITV/Shutterstock

Coronation Street and Emmerdale followed EastEnders’ lead and suspended production on their soaps a few days after their BBC rival. 

With effect from Monday 30 March, Coronation Street’s scheduling pattern will change to ensure the soap has enough new episodes to see it through to early summer, airing Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm.

It was originally announced Emmerdale would cut its episodes to five a week, but it has now been confirmed only three episodes will air from 30 March, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7pm. 

Hollyoaks

The Channel 4 soap has also temporarily suspended filming, but it has confirmed editorial work would continue, with script writers working from home on future episodes.

The number of episodes each week will reduce from five to three, airing from Monday to Wednesday at 6.30pm. 

A spokesperson added: “To make sure we stay on air every week night, fans can look forward to extra special episodes every Thursday and Friday on E4, as we begin a brand new series of Hollyoaks Favourites.

“Introduced by Kieron Richardson and Jorgie Porter, this series will give viewers a chance to revisit some of our biggest episodes, from weddings, bust-ups, heartbreaks and some of our biggest and best stunts.”

Loose Women

Open Image Modal
S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock

While the ITV daytime show initially continued to broadcast amid the outbreak, choosing to remove its studio audience, the decision has been made to take it off the air altogether. 

It has now been replaced by repeat episodes of the lunchtime chat show. 

ITV explained the cuts to its daytime programming were made to “minimise the number of staff travelling in and out of our studios and working together on shift at any one time”, as it aims to keep Good Morning Britain and This Morning on air for as long as possible. 

Lorraine

As part of ITV’s reduction of its daytime output, Lorraine will also cease broadcasting. 

Instead, presenter Lorraine Kelly will join Piers Morgan for an extended edition of Good Morning Britain from 9-10am. 

Sunday Brunch

Sunday Bruch was pulled from the air at the last minute on 22 March, due to coronavirus fears. 

The show returned the following week with presenters Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy presenting from their respective homes. 

Line Of Duty 

A BBC spokesman confirmed filming had also been postponed on the sixth series of the police drama, which began filming in Northern Ireland last month.

Peaky Blinders

Filming for series six of the crime drama has been postponed, according to the programme’s Twitter account.

The Voice UK

The live semi-final and live final of this year’s competition were due to take place on 28 March and 4 April, but ITV has confirmed they have now been postponed until later in the year. 

Britain’s Got Talent

Open Image Modal
ITV

The new series of Britain’s Got Talent will still go ahead in April, kicking off with the pre-recorded auditions. However, the live shows have been postponed until later in the year. 

A spokesperson for the show said: “In light of the latest government health guidelines and in line with our priority of safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved in our programmes, production of the live shows cannot go ahead as planned. The live finals will therefore be broadcast later in the year.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

Open Image Modal
Netflix

Filming on the second series of Drag Race UK had been underway at Pinewood Studios, ahead of its debut on BBC Three later this year. 

However, a spokesperson for the show confirmed that it is “temporarily pausing filming both in consultation with and supported by the BBC”.

Celebrity Juice

Filming on the current series was halted following the government’s latest advice, even though the audience had arrived at the studio. 

Neighbours and Home & Away

Open Image Modal
Channel 5

Channel 5 has cut the number of episodes it will air of its Australian soaps from five to two per week, after production was halted on both shows Down Under. 

While it has been reported filming has since resumed, a C5 spokesperson said: “As a result of Covid-19, we have taken the decision to reduce the number of episodes for Neighbours and Home and Away from five to two per week for both soaps, so that our viewers can continue to enjoy them for as long as possible.

“Both programmes will air on Monday and Fridays, effective from Monday 30th March.”

British Soap Awards

It has been announced that the British Soap Awards have been cancelled altogether for 2020, with the event originally planned to take place in May. 

A spokesperson said: “The awards ceremony will return in 2021.

“In the meantime, a brand new 60″ programme called The British Soap Awards Celebrates 21 Years will air this Spring, narrated by Phillip Schofield.”

Saturday Night Live 

The long-running US sketch show was supposed to return from a break on 28 March, but production will not resume “until further notice”.

Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers, James Corden and Stephen Colbert

All of the big late night talk shows have been put on a production break. James Corden told viewers they had “explored every option” to try and put a show on for you but felt “the safest thing to do is to stop for a moment and take advice further down the line”.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The host said she was “already bored” following the news that her daytime show had been paused. She certainly hasn’t lost her sense of humour though, joking that she and her wife Portia de Rossi have “watched every single thing on Netflix, and are just about done reading the entire internet.”

Stranger Things

Netflix has stopped production on season four. It is part of the streaming giant’s move to shut down all scripted TV and film production in the US and Canada for at least two weeks.

Friends

Open Image Modal
NBC via Getty Images

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast of Friends had been due to come together to film the upcoming unscripted reunion on 23 March. 

However, the outlet reports that filming has now been pushed back until May at the earliest. 

Killing Eve 

Open Image Modal
BBC

The series had originally been scheduled to begin in the US on 26 April, but this date was brought forward two weeks, amid the pandemic. 

“We know how adored this series is and we know how keen people are for great content right now,” said Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios, who make the show.

For the first time in the show’s history, new episodes will air in the UK just hours after they debut on BBC America. Until now, British fans had to wait until an entire series finished airing in the US until episodes hit the BBC iPlayer. 

However, the BBC has confirmed series three will arrive here on 13 April 2020, with new episodes available every Monday from 6am. They will then air regularly on BBC One each Sunday night from 19 April. 

Lord Of The Rings 

Amazon’s reported $1billion series was shooting in New Zealand but production has been suspended with Amazon sending home around 800 cast and crew from the production’s West Auckland shoot. The cast have been told “there are no clear answers when we will resume”. 

Pose 

Production has been paused on the FX show, along with Empire and American Crime Story: Impeachment. 

The Walking Dead 

Production has been delayed, along with spin-off Fear The Walking Dead. The series 10 finale will now air later in the year than originally planned.

Riverdale 

Production was suspended due to a coronavirus scare.

FILM

No Time To Die

The latest Bond film had its release postponed from April to November. The film will now hit UK cinemas on 12 November, and will arrive in the US just shy of two weeks later.

Wonder Woman 1984

 

Originally slated for release in June, the Wonder Woman sequel will now hit cinemas in August instead.

Lead actor Gal Gadot said: “In these dark and scary times, I am looking forward to a brighter future ahead. Where we can share the power of cinema together again.”

Still, at least we have her cover of Imagine to entertain us in the meantime...

Mulan

Open Image Modal
Liu Yifei
Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Disney has delayed the release of its blockbuster remake of the animated feature. The movie’s world premiere still took place on 9 March in Hollywood, complete with a red carpet and many of its stars, including Liu Yifei, who plays Mulan.

Black Widow

 

The new Marvel film focussing on Scarlett Johansson’s character had been slated for release at the beginning of May, but Disney has now made the decision to postpone this until later in the year.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, The Personal History Of David Copperfield and The Woman In The Window have also been removed from their release calendar.

Peter Rabbit 2

 

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, which features the voices of James Corden and Margot Robbie, was due in UK cinemas on 27 March, and the US a week later. But with uncertainty over whether fans will avoid cinemas, that has now been put back to 7 August.

The Secret Garden

 

The Colin Firth and Julie Walters remake has seen its release postponed from April 3 to August 14.

In The Heights

The big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical was due for release in June, but its release has been delayed indefinitely.

The Batman

Filming has been suspended for two weeks with Warner Bros insisting it will “continue to monitor the situation closely”.

Uncharted

Sony halted production on the video game adaptation for six weeks. The film, starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas, had been in pre-production in Berlin.

Untitled Elvis Presley biopic 

The Baz Luhrmann production is on hold after Tom Hanks, who will play the singer’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, tested positive for Covid-19 along with his wife Rita Wilson. Both have since been discharged from hospital.

Mission: Impossible 7 

Open Image Modal
Tom Cruise
Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

The latest release in the hit franchise had been set to begin filming in Venice but has been put on hold after Italy became one of the countries hardest hit by the virus.

A statement from studio Paramount said: “Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for ‘Mission: Impossible 7’.

Cinderella

Camila Cabello will play the lead role in a Cinderella musical but Sony said production at the UK’s Pinewood Studios had been suspended for two weeks.

Fantastic Beasts 3

Open Image Modal
Eddie Redmayne
Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Warner Bros has suspended production on Harry Potter spin-off with no date so far set for a return. The series is one of WB’s top franchises, with the previous two films grossing more than $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.

Matrix 4 

Production on was under way in Berlin, but is another high-profile casualty of the virus.

MUSIC

Glastonbury

Glastonbury have now confirmed that this year’s festival - the event’s 50th anniversary - will not go ahead. 

In a statement, organisers said: “We are so sorry to announce this but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled and this will be an enforced fallow year for the festival.

“Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option.”

They continued: “We very much hope that the situation in the UK will have improved enormously by the end of June.

“But even as it is, we are no longer able to spend the next three months with thousands of crew here on he farm, helping us with the enormous job of building the infrastructure and attractions needed to welcome more than 200,000 people to a temporary city in these fields.”

Around 135,000 tickets had already been sold for the five-day event which was due to take place from 24–28 June. 

Those who have tickets for this year’s festival are invited to “roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the opportunity to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2021”.

Refunds will also be optional in the coming days to those who would prefer their deposit back.

Coachella 

The music festival has been pushed back from its original April date to October. Festival organisers say Coachella will now take place over two weekends in autumn, 9-11 and 16-18 Oct. 16-18. Country music festival Stagecoach suffered the same fate. 

Eurovision

Eurovision organisers announced that this year’s song contest has been cancelled, following the coronavirus outbreak.

The televised event – which sees entrants representing 41 different countries from around Europe and beyond competing in the same venue – had been due to take place in Rotterdam on 16 May, with semi-finals in the days before.

However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has now confirmed that the event will not be going ahead, in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

It’s since been revealed that one-off event Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light will take place on 16 May, the same night that the Eurovision final had scheduled for.

The live event will feature all of the artists who had been due to compete this year, performing past Eurovision songs in their own countries “with unifying lyrics appropriate for the current situation we find ourselves in”.

Past performers will also be returning to perform Eurovision classics “in iconic European locations”.

BBC has also been planning a one-off special titled Eurovision: Come Together on the night of the final, hosted by commentator Graham Norton and featuring “classic performances” and interviews, including with the UK’s 2020 act, James Newman.

Capital Summer Time Ball

Capital’s annual summer concert had been due to take place on 6 June, but it has now been cancelled. 

Tickets for the event hadn’t yet gone on sale, and the artists performing also had not been announced. 

Harry Styles

The former One Direction singer has pushed the European and UK leg of his world tour back until 2021.

“Anyone who knows me, knows that performing has always been my favorite part of working in music,” he explained. “However, during times like these, the safety and protection of touring crew, fans, and everyone else around the world is an immediate priority.”

Lady Gaga

As a result of the outbreak, Gaga made the decision to delay the release of her sixth album Chromatica, claiming it “doesn’t feel right” to release an album with “all that is going on during this global pandemic”. 

Although she’s yet to offer a new release date, she also insisted she planned to go ahead with her accompanying tour, which is set to launch over the summer.

Dua Lipa

Interestingly, Dua Lipa decided to bring her album release forward a week amid the pandemic, saying: “I hope it brings you some happiness, and I hope it makes you smile, and I hope it makes you dance. I hope I make you proud.”

Billie Eilish 

The teen pop sensation has been forced to postpone a string of US tour dates.

Camila Cabello

The chart-topping singer has delayed her upcoming tour, which was due to begin in May.

“I’m truly heartbroken to say that we’ve decided we need to postpone the tour… we can’t start rehearsals without putting people at risk and with so much up in the air with no real and definitive end in sight, I feel this is the responsible thing to do,” she said.

Guns N’ Roses 

The US rockers have postponed their forthcoming South American tour.

Sir Elton John

The music legend has pulled more than a dozen concerts in Canada and the US, which had been set to take place in March, April and July as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The concerts are being postponed until a later date.

The Who 

The legendary rockers have postponed their tour.

Foo Fighters

The US band have postponed their Van Tour 2020, frontman Dave Grohl said. Some dates have already been rescheduled. 

Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls’ UK and Ireland tour has been postponed – but the group has already announced rescheduled dates, with the girls returning to the stage in October. 

Alanis Morissette

The Canadian-American singer will reschedule tour dates in Japan, Manila, Australia and New Zealand. 

The Jonas Brothers

The sibling band have cancelled their planned April residency in Las Vegas. “We love you guys and we are praying for everyone’s safety and wellness. We’ll see you soon,” the band said in a statement.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson, who was also scheduled to begin her Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood on 1 April, postponed the launch of her Invincible shows until July due to the pandemic. The singer also announced her US daytime show had shut down production indefinitely “out of concern and care for everyone’s safety.” 

Thom Yorke 

The Radiohead frontman postponed the US leg of his Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes Tour. He tweeted: “Ticket holders, please standby for information on a new routing for later this year. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

Celine Dion 

The singer has pushed back the March and April dates of the North American leg of her Courage tour. New dates are yet to be announced.

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 

Organisers have cancelled this year’s event. The annual music festival, which had Biffy Clyro, Harry Styles and Camila Cabello on the line-up, was due to take place in Dundee from Friday May 22 to Sunday May 24.

“It is important that we prioritise the health and safety of all those involved,” Radio 1 said in a statement.

Isle Of Wight

The Isle Of Wight festival, which was due to take place on 11-14 June with Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers and Duran Duran headlining, has been cancelled. 

Organisers said in a statement that the event would return in 2021, adding: “This decision hasn’t been taken lightly and we have tried our hardest to make it work, but it was unavoidable given the current status.” 

THEATRES AND CINEMAS

Theatres in the West End and around the UK closed from the evening of 16 March.

The Society Of London Theatre (SOLT) – which represents hundreds of theatres in the capital including the National Theatre, London Palladium and London Coliseum – and UK Theatre said the decision was “not taken lightly”.

The Royal Shakespeare Company also announced its three theatres would close following the Government’s advice to stop all “non-essential contact”.

The Royal Opera House said it would close the building to the public and cancel all performances in Covent Garden with immediate effect.

This year’s Olivier Awards, which recognise excellence in professional theatre in London, have been cancelled.

 

Odeon Cinemas also closed all its cinemas in the UK, saying in a statement: “Following Government guidelines Odeon cinemas are closed until further notice.”

Cineworld and Picturehouse shut all UK outlets starting from 18 March while outlets in Ireland will closed on 17 March.

Cineworld Group chief executive Mooky Greidinger said: “At Cineworld and Picturehouse we are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice.

“We deeply value our cinema-loving customers and have no doubt we will be serving everyone again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters and the best of independent films and content.”

All 91 of the UK’s Vue cinemas closed from Tuesday 17 March until further notice.

Founder and chief executive Tim Richards, said: “As you would expect, we are also doing our part by putting employment policies in place so that our staff are protected and are not penalised financially.

“We want to wish all our customers and employees well during these difficult times. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you back at one of our cinemas soon.”

OTHER EVENTS

Edinburgh Festival

It has been announced that Edinburgh’s series of annual festivals have been cancelled as a result of the pandemic. 

Organisers said: “For the first time in over 70 years, the five festivals that transform Edinburgh into the world’s leading cultural destination every August are not going ahead this year due to concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic. Edinburgh Art Festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are not happening as planned in 2020.”

The Met Gala

Open Image Modal
Anna Wintour attends Met Gala.
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

One of the biggest dates in the fashion diary each year, has been postponed “indefinitely”, host Anna Wintour said. In a statement posted on the Vogue website, the magazine editor called the decision “unavoidable and responsible,” and promised a preview of this year’s planned exhibition in the May issue of Vogue.