This Morning dealt major blow as BBC show beats relaunch in ratings war

12 March 2024 , 13:42

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This Morning dealt major blow as BBC show beats relaunch in ratings war

This Morning's relaunch with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard has been dealt a major blow.

The pair fronted the show for the first time on March 11 after taking over as main presenters from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. In recent years, the ITV flagship show has been embroiled in scandal, from Queuegate to Phillip's "unwise but not illegal" affair with a much younger colleague.

But while bosses had hoped to kick things off with a bang with hosts Cat and Ben at the helm, they've been less than successful with a BBC show beating them in the ratings war. Prior to the scandal surrounding This Morning, they raked in millions of viewers per day, tuning in for the latest news and wildest trends.

Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard's launch on This Morning didn't engage well with viewers

Nowadays, the viewing figures are deteriorating with it being revealed that more people are tuning in to BBC's Morning Live. On Monday, the Manchester-based programme saw one million people tune in, while This Morning had a mere 800,000. Users have since taken to X, formerly Twitter to share their views.

One penned: "Clearly going to take some work for This Morning to get back on top properly again." A second went on to write: "I accidentally stumbled on to This Morning yesterday stayed to see them say hello, but then quickly moved on. It's just the same tired format with different people. Nothing to stay for."

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But while some may have decided to ditch This Morning, Cat and Ben have been praised for their work since their debut. Body language expert Darren Stanton believes the duo will make a "great permanent team". Speaking on behalf of Betfair Slots, he said: "The show is in good hands now. While there's been a succession of various presenters over the past year, they've definitely found their feet with their two. It does work well when you have people at similar periods in life with similar experiences. In terms of their overall body language as a duo, we're seeing a couple that have got a deep reciprocal liking, are well aware of each other's skills and abilities, and display mutual respect."

Kimberley Walsh recently announced she was taking an extended break from Morning Live (kimberleywalshofficial/Instagram)

Speaking about joining the show, Cat said: "This Morning is a national institution. Whenever it's on, it's like having your friends over - funny, smart, silly, heartfelt, informative and joyful - like all the greatest friendships! This Morning is and always will be the viewer's show. Ben and I both know how much people love it and with the help of an amazing team of people, we're going to do our best to take care of it."

Meanwhile, Ben commented: "This really feels like a very special moment for Cat and I to be part of the next chapter of This Morning. It's an honour to be trusted with the reigns, join Alison and Dermot and all the team that work on and off screen and do such a great job. For the last ten years, I've been waking up with our ITV daytime audience on GMB and I now look forward to spending time with Cat, welcoming the viewers home after the school run or from their early morning routines, with a cup of tea and a mix of everything that makes This Morning so loved."

Daniel Bird