BBC’s Morning Live deals fresh blow to This Morning with record-breaking ratings after hosting shake-up & new time slot
BBC Morning Live has secured another triumph and dealt a fresh blow to This Morning after achieving another huge ratings win.
The BBC morning offering has undergone a series of changes as it capitalises on the downfall and struggles of its ITV rival and they appear to be paying off after an epic ratings win yesterday.
This Morning has had a crisis-filled year that saw it lose Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby as its hosts as well as suffer a steep fall in ratings and miss out on the NTA gong.
On the flip side, Morning Live has gone from strength to strength after bagging an extended 75 minute runtime as well as signing up Helen Skleton and Michelle Ackerley to work alongside the show's existing glittery names Kimberley Walsh, Gethin Jones and Kym Marsh.
The decision to broadcast for longer has now paid off with the Beeb confirming that Morning Live had achieved its highest ratings of the year following a heartfelt tribute episode to Kym's late dad, David Marsh.
Confirming the huge audience figure win, the BBC said: "We’re blown away by the reaction to our show yesterday where we paid tribute to our friend Dave Marsh.
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"It was our highest rated show so far this year which means Dave’s message to get checked early for signs of prostate cancer was shared far and wide."
The show's official X - formerly Twitter - account then shared a further message encouraging viewers to know all the warning signs to look out for when it comes to prostate cancer.
It is likely that the BBC will be rubbing their hands after the huge win amid a slew of ratings high's for the programme.
Last week, 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.
It meant that Morning Live beat the show by 160,000 viewers with yesterday's episode garnering even more than 1.16 million.
During yesterday's huge ratings win of an episode, the show aired a montage piece that documented his health woes and achievements that he bravely shared with the programme.
At the end of the succession of clips, Helen could be seen rattled with sadness as she compared being around Dave as "spending time in the sunshine."
Helen's face crumbled as she attempted to keep it together alongside co-host Gethin Jones.
She went on to say to Gethin: "[David was] the warmest man, constantly making people laugh.
As part of the new rota, Helen will alternate hosting alongside Gethin on Monday through 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.
This Morning has yet to been able to find permanent show hosts despite a series of "live auditions".
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It is thought Emma Willis, Cat Deeley and Christine Lampard were all approached but were unable to commit to the lengthy schedule.
Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Alison Hammond and Rylan Clark have been regular rotating hosts in the absence of a lead.
