BBC set for another weekend shake up as FA Cup games cause havoc for huge primetime shows
TELLY viewers have been left up in arms after discovering sporting action could cause havoc with their favourite programmes this month.
Viewers of Doctor Who in particular – who could miss out on the show’s Eurovision sci fi special due to the FA Cup Final – have now learned the footballing contest’s semi final stage could spark a schedule shake-up too.
This weekend, we reported how Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said he didn’t know “if we’ll even be transmitted” on FA Cup Final day, on May 17.
With the nail-biting clash broadcast on terrestrial TV, the FA Cup semi cup final stage – which airs live from Wembley – will take place on April 26 and 27.
On April 26, it has been confirmed BBC One will air the clash between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa – and fans are already outraged at the schedule shake-up, with the kick off time penned in for 5:15pm.
They hailed the upcoming weeks for TV as being subject to “sporting disruption mode.”
One took to X to write: “The #FACup Semi-Final schedules have just been confirmed, with more potential disruption to #DoctorWho (in addition to the final on 17th May).
“BBC One will show Crystal Palace v Aston Villa on Saturday 26th April with 5:15pm kick-off.”
A fan was quick to moan: “Everything stops for corporate football doesn’t it!?”
Another then suggested: “Why can’t they just show football on bbc2?”
One then suggested: “Meaning that Doctor Who will have to shift to Sunday evening that week (on the 27th of April 2025) at 7:15pm which will be preceded by Antiques Roadshow provisionally – this will be the first of two outings on a Sunday to come for DW in sporting disruption mode. Countryfile, DW, AR ??”
Another ranted: “Why does football get priority all year round.”
Yet others were in favour of the FA Cup Semi Final being broadcast on terrestrial telly.
One mused: “Audience for the football would be double or triple that anyway.”
FA CUP FINAL TV DISRUPTION
On May 17, should the FA Cup final action at Wembley extend to extra time or penalties, it could prompt another headache for telly bosses.
This is because the Saturday marks the same day as the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
With the singing extravaganza a firm fixture in the schedule – and broadcast live – it would mean Doctor Who’s quirky sci fi episode penned for the same day would need to be shifted.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies recently expressed his concerns and said: “The FA Cup is going live on BBC One, and then you have Eurovision going live in the evening, we’re squeezed in the middle.
“We don’t know if we’ll even be transmitted that day.”
He added to OK! Magazine: “It will be on iPlayer but you’ll have to sit through a football match to know whether Doctor Who will be out that night.”
He continued: “They [the BBC] asked if we wanted to move it.
“But I said, ‘That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s find out!’”
However, Doctor Who’s overall future is looking rather bleak, with the 2025 Christmas special set to be scrapped for the first time in six years after a plunge in ratings.
The Beeb previously confirmed Ncuti would return as the titular Time Lord, but he is already believed to have filmed his regeneration exit scene — and crew fear the BBC will then axe the show altogether.