Matt Tebbutt's Saturday Kitchen pulled from BBC One at the last minute in schedule shake-up

Two hit shows have been pulled from BBC One's weekend schedule in order to make way for a historic event

08:48, 25 Apr 2025

BBC One's typical weekend line-up has been significantly altered to accommodate some historic events this weekend.

The network's primary channel will deviate from its regular programming on Saturday (26 April) to broadcast the funeral of Pope Francis.

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The BBC has confirmed that the funeral, which will take place at St Peter's Square in Vatican City, will be aired on BBC One starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

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Journalist Reeta Chakrabarti will lead the coverage, which is expected to last three hours and 59 minutes.

This has led to a major reshuffling of BBC One's Saturday schedule, with shows like Saturday Kitchen and Mary Berry: Love to Cook being removed from their usual slots. These programmes typically air at 10 a.m. and 11.30 am. respectively, reports the Express.

Saturday Kitchen has been pulled from the BBC One schedule (Image: (Image: BBC))

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However, viewers of these TV shows won't have to miss out as the BBC has arranged for both programmes to be broadcast on BBC Two at their regular times.

Following the coverage of Pope Francis' funeral, the BBC Weekend News will be aired at 12.30pm - slightly earlier than its usual 1pm slot. This will be followed by BBC Weather at 12.40pm.

London Marathon: My Reason to Run, presented by Gabby Logan, will be shown for 30 minutes from 12.45pm, followed by the Snooker World Championship, which starts at 1.15pm.

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After additional news updates, BBC One will broadcast The FA Cup Semi-Final: Crystal Palace v Aston Villa at 4.45pm, with a new episode of Doctor Who airing at 7.20pm.

Pope Francis died on 21 April(Image: (Image: AFP via Getty Images))

Following Pope Francis's passing on Easter Monday, alterations have been made. The Vatican announced the sad news in a statement released on Monday (21 April) morning, stating that he had passed away at the age of 88.

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"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.

"He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized," read the statement.

The Funeral of Pope Francis will air on BBC One on Saturday, 25 April from 8.30am