October 13th 2023.
This Morning has gone from being the untouchable powerhouse of daytime telly to feeling off the boil for well over a year. The departure of Holly Willoughby, after 14 years, has left the ITV stalwart at a make-or-break crossroads.
September 2022 saw the beginnings of a downward spiral, when Willoughby and her co-host at the time, Phillip Schofield, were accused of jumping the queue to see the late Queen lying in state. The incident was quickly explained, but the reputations of the hosts and the show as a whole never seemed to recover.
In May of this year, reports of a rift between the duo escalated until Schofield abruptly left. The show then found itself engulfed in scandal when he admitted to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with someone from the show’s crew. Investigations were launched, and questions were asked about the ‘toxic culture’ behind the scenes.
Willoughby adopted the ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach by hosting with a rotating cast of co-hosts, until she too announced her departure on Instagram. Now, This Morning can regenerate and refresh itself.
The show needs to redecorate the set, switch-up the branding, drop in new contributors or segments, and even give the theme tune a hyperpop remix. This overhaul should close the door on this troubled, muted era and launch the fresh chapter it so desperately needs.
Daytime TV in general has felt increasingly icky in recent times, weighed down by tone-deaf faux-pas and debates on tiresome ‘culture war’ topics. The days of Gino D’Acampo cracking everyone up with his grandma-based bike-talk feel like they’re from a different lifetime altogether.
Just last week, This Morning had yet another backlash when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made an appearance. The hosts were criticised for giving him an easy ride and the segment stank, with no one coming out of it looking any better.
It’s time for ITV bosses to take inspiration from Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, which has proven that shows can still do everything you’d want from the genre in a way that feels fresh, fun and inviting.
This could be a chance for an exciting all-round reboot. Let’s hope that the show can find the balance between serious current affairs and fun, lighter stuff, and that it doesn’t feel so heavy and politicised. It shouldn’t be in a position where the show itself is constantly a major news story.
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