CRISIS: RUMOURS ITV is Planning to AXEXING This Morning

ITV has come under fire from some of its biggest stars after announcing sweeping cuts to programmes like Lorraine and Loose Women. Those shows have both been cut to just 30 minutes of run-time, down from an hour, and will only air for several months of the year starting from January 2026.

Reports have also suggested that the slashed budget means Loose Women will no longer feature A-list celebrity guests and will ditch its studio audience as a cost-cutting measure. But while all this is going on, This Morning has been allowed to languish on schedules, unaffected by the changes.

Let’s be honest – it’s past time for it to go. The bell tolled for the daytime programme as soon as Phillip Schofield became mired in scandal, sucking Holly Willoughby into the black hole with him and seeing them both depart the show for good.

The move sent bosses into crisis and fumbling for new presenters, before out of nowhere came Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard – one of the most random line-ups I ever could have predicted. Instead of giving its usual stars like Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle a leg up – or, even better, getting Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in full time – viewers are forced to watch a solid two and a half hours of Ben pretending to be interested in whatever inane topic they’re debating that day.

Say what you will about Alison and Dermot, but at least they’re in on the joke. Their breaking down in the middle of a live sound bath was hilarious for all involved, simply because they know just how ridiculous it is for viewers watching at home to have to sit through it.

When was the last time This Morning presented anything worthwhile? Aside from the short segment where the stars discuss the headlines of the day, so much of it is taken up by shock value – women marrying ghosts, the man boasting Britain’s biggest penis, the excruciating cringe of the Speakmans and their phobia cure-alls.

While those segments might be okay for a quick chuckle, it’s hardly enough to fill the yawning chasm of daytime telly, not when it could instead be replaced by something much more worthwhile. I’m not asking for hard-hitting news, either. ITV needs to invest in a solid daytime soap or an engaging drama – even a new twist on a game show. Programmes that can be rotated throughout the year, rather than sticking us with the agony of this singular rubbish.

So save money. Keep Loose Women as it is. Even extend Good Morning Britain. But do stop trying to make This Morning happen, when it should have been put out to pasture long ago.