ITV’s budget cuts to its flagship daytime shows, including Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, Loose Women, and This Morning, have been described as a "bloodbath" by sources within the broadcaster.
The changes, which will impact ITV Studios—the production company behind these shows—will lead to the loss of more than 220 jobs, nearly half of the 440 staff currently working across these programmes.
The most notable changes will be to Lorraine, which will be reduced from one hour to just 30 minutes and will air only 30 weeks a year, down from the current 52.
Loose Women will continue with its regular format but will be scaled back to 30 weeks per year.
This Morning will remain unchanged in terms of length and frequency, while Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes, running from 6am to 9:30am. For the 22 weeks that Lorraine is not airing, GMB will take over the additional half hour, continuing until 10am.
Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV’s media and entertainment division, stated that the decision to reduce the number of weeks Lorraine and Loose Women air aligns with the presenters’ seasonal work patterns.
He said: “Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well as generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.
“These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever.”
The changes, set to take effect in January, will see Good Morning Britain production handled by a dedicated team at ITV News, merging with ITN—the company responsible for producing news for Channel 4 and Channel 5—into a single hub at ITN’s headquarters on Gray’s Inn Road in central London.
For Lorraine, the restructuring means that host Lorraine Kelly will now front the show five days a week, leaving stand-ins Christine Lampard and Ranvir Singh without a regular role. Lorraine, Loose Women, and This Morning—which features hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley—will also be relocated to a new studio and produced by a single team.
The staff were informed of the changes during an in-person meeting held on Tuesday for ITV Studios and ITV News teams.
Mr Lygo said: “I recognise that our plans will have an impact on staff off-screen in our Daytime production teams.
“We will work with ITV Studios and ITN as they manage these changes to produce the shows differently from next year, and support them through this transition.
“Daytime has been a core element of ITV’s schedule for over 40 years and these changes will set ITV up to continue to bring viewers award-winning news, views and discussion as we enter our eighth decade.”
The announcement has been met with widespread dismay within ITV, with one worker describing the changes as “the death of daytime TV” to The Standard while another branded the job cuts “an absolute bloodbath.”
An insider also claimed staff were expecting “the announcement to be bad but didn’t think it would be this bad”, adding: “Everyone is in shock.”
Meanwhile, stars of Loose Women are reportedly “terrified” by ITV's recent announcement and has left presenters like Ruth Langsford, Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, and Denise Welch feeling "angered" and "panicked," with many concerned about the impact on their livelihoods, according to insiders close to the show.
A source told MailOnline:' “All of the presenters are in a state of panic and up in arms following ITV's announcement. These shows make up a large part of their livelihoods, so they are just as stressed and angry as the production staff, who have been told over 300 jobs are at risk.
“Ruth, Kaye, Nadia and Denise, in particular, have been reaching out to the production team in a panic and to express how angry they are that ITV had made this decision.”
ITV’s decision to cut the schedule has created significant unrest behind the scenes. It is believed that Christine Lampard, who presents both Loose Women and fills in on Lorraine when the regular host is on holiday, is particularly worried.
The new scheduling cuts will directly impact her work, putting her annual income in jeopardy.
A source told the outlet: “Loose Women and Lorraine dropping down in their schedule will badly affect Christine Lampard, she anchors for both shows so most of her yearly work is now at stake.”
The show’s new reduced format, airing just 30 weeks a year, has led to speculation that ITV may have to part ways with some of its long-standing presenters, including veterans who have been with the show for decades.
Sources suggest that younger panelists, such as Olivia Attwood and GK Barry, may be favoured as part of a strategy to refresh the lineup, potentially leaving older stars like Janet Street-Porter and Jane Moore at risk.
The production changes come as part of ITV’s ongoing cost-cutting strategy, which has already impacted its soaps, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
The broadcaster insists that the restructuring will help fund investments in other areas, including new drama and sports coverage. Additionally, ITV is considering offers from RedBird IMI and Banijay for its ITV Studios arm, which produces Love Island.
ITV chairman Andrew Cosslett said last week: “If someone approaches the company with an offer to talk, that’s something we have to take seriously.
“But our current strategy is very clear and it’s making the best of what we have in combination.”
