Channel 5 Pulls 22 Kids and Counting From 8pm Slot as Tv Guide Shows Snooker Replacement
Channel 5 has removed 22 Kids and Counting from its scheduled Sunday 8pm slot this week, a change listed in the tv guide that replaces the family reality show with extended snooker coverage. The switch pushes the Radford family's episode back to next week, altering an afternoon and evening block of programming.
Channel 5 and Tv Guide listing
The broadcaster's schedule now features extended snooker in place of the usual 8pm airing of 22 Kids and Counting. Listings show snooker action running into the 6. 30pm–9pm evening window that the Radfords normally occupy, and one schedule outline also places live snooker coverage on the channel from 12. 30pm with a 5. 30pm break for 5 News at 5 before play resumes at 6. 30pm. That evening snooker block will be followed by Rich House Poor House.
Radford family episodes and recent storylines
The new series of 22 Kids and Counting began last month and three episodes have aired so far. The opener centred on Sophie Radford's relationship breakdown with her husband Joe as the couple approached their 10th wedding anniversary; Sophie said tearfully that there would be no going back. A second instalment focused on the family's 18-year-old son Josh, whose mental health declined until medics and mental health charity workers helped secure a diagnosis of agoraphobia. Last week's episode followed Millie Radford and her husband Harley Passmore as they faced a crisis: Harley has suffered Bell's palsy, causing facial droop and difficulty returning to work, and the couple needed to raise £2, 000 to prevent their puppy being put to sleep. Millie had surprised Harley with a new dog, but the animal developed medical problems, prompting Sue and Noel Radford to cut short a luxury holiday in Dubai to return and help.
Snooker coverage: Players Championship, final sessions and presenters
The replacement snooker coverage is described in listings in more than one way: one schedule entry identifies the afternoon action as the third quarter-final of the Live Snooker: Players Championship beginning at 12. 30pm, while other programme descriptions present the evening slot as the second session of the final on day six from the Telford International Centre, with presenter Katie Shanahan. The final-session description notes that the first player to reach 10 frames will be crowned champion. Last year's final reached a 10–9 finish when Kyren Wilson beat Judd Trump; Wilson recorded three ranking final wins that season, including the Xi'an Grand Prix and the Northern Ireland Open, but he did not appear this time after failing to reach the required top-16 ranking by the cut-off point. The week's commentary and analysis team includes Stephen Hendry, Alan McManus, John Higgins and Matthew Stevens.
Next episode: Max, GCSEs and family storylines
Viewers are told the Radford show will return the following Sunday, picking up with an episode about Noel and Sue's 16-year-old son Max, who is preparing for his GCSEs. Max is autistic, excels at logic, maths and physics, and aspires to work on large engineering projects such as planes, submarines, ships and rockets; his difficulty with English is presented as a potential barrier to those ambitions. The episode synopsis also flags another family subplot: Ellie and her boyfriend Steven approaching their first anniversary amid emerging tensions, with Steven often absent and Ellie planning an adrenaline-fuelled Lake District weekend featuring a bungee jump that leaves Steven visibly uneasy.
Audience impact and availability on My5
The schedule change wipes out the Radford programme's regular Sunday 8pm slot for this week and is likely to frustrate viewers who tune in expecting the family instalment. What makes this notable is the breadth of information in listings: the channel has rearranged both daytime and prime-time blocks, creating a direct cause-and-effect where Channel 5's extended snooker coverage displaces a regularly scheduled reality show. For viewers who miss the broadcast, 22 Kids and Counting is available to watch on My5, and the programme is scheduled to return on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Fans of the Radfords and regular viewers of the show will have to wait until that date for the episode that follows Max through his GCSEs and explores whether English jeopardises his engineering ambitions.
