BBC’s Morning Live deals major blow to ITV’s This Morning after signing Helen Skelton and bagging new schedule slot
BBC's Morning Live has dealt a major blow to ITV's This Morning after signing Helen Skelton and bagging a new schedule slot.
The BBC programme launched in 2020 and has built a steady following since then.
It was recently announced that Helen, 40, would be joining the show as a permanent co-host alongside Gethin Jones, 45, who has fronted the show since the beginning.
BBC bosses also revealed Morning Live would be extending its running time from 45 minutes to 75 minutes from this week.
The show now airs from 9.30am until 10.45am every week day, overlapping with This Morning for 45 minutes when it starts on ITV at 10am.
And the changes have already proven to be a success, as Morning Live won the daytime TV battle by 160,000 viewers, leaving bosses "thrilled".
Read More on Morning Live
The show secured 1.16 million viewers to This Morning's one million, and the Daily Mail claims This Morning staff are "baffled" as to why bosses didn't snap Helen up after Holly Willoughby's departure from the show in October last year.
A This Morning source told the publication: "They missed a trick by not nabbing Helen.
"She had done quite a few shifts on Morning Live and the audience loved her, she would have been perfect."
Helen will alternate hosting alongside Gethin Monday to Wednesday with Michelle Ackerley.
Meanwhile Kym Marsh will present on Thursdays, and the show will also feature regular guest presenters including Sara Cox, Kimberley Walsh, Gaby Roslin and Rav Wilding.
Over on This Morning, Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary became the main presenters following a tumultuous year in 2023 which saw Phillip Schofield quit in May, followed by Holly's departure in October.
This week, the show has been presented by Rylan Clark and Josie Gibson.
Morning Live airs weekdays from 9.30am on BBC One, while This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.