Can Ben Shephard revive 'Good Morning Britain'? Piers Morgan replaced with 'safest option' amid fall in ratings
Piers Morgan infamously left the sets of 'Good Morning Britain' after he was called out for his coverage of Meghan Markle earlier this month. For the longest time, fans and viewers of the show had been speculating who would make for a good replacement for Morgan. The latest reports now reveal that the network might just have found the "safest option" as Morgan's replacement.
Shephard has been chosen to take his place because, according to the Mail on Sunday, he represents the "safest option".
RELATED ARTICLES
Producers were reportedly looking for a replacement ever since Morgan dramatically quit after a row over Meghan. And they finally arrived on Shephard as an option, according to sources. Reports reveal that the network has a plan when it comes to Shephard - he is set to co-present 'Good Morning Britain' with Susanna Reid from Monday to Wednesday, just as Piers did. This will go on till September which is when the network will assess how the partnership is being accepted by the viewers.
A source recently revealed to the publication, "ITV and GMB bosses were totally unprepared for Piers going. Ben, who is adored by the staff and much of the audience, stepped in and the thought is now that he will work long term. He certainly isn’t like-for-like for Piers, but then who is?"
Plummeting ratings
Ever since Morgan quit 'GMB', it has been reported that the show's ratings have gone down.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the show's ratings took a hit, with its average viewers down by 255,700 compared to March 8, 2021. On March 15, 2021, the show reportedly had just 1.3 million people tuning in at its peak; with an average of 895,700 viewers.
Morgan’s final appearance on ‘Good Morning Britain’ before his sensational resignation was watched by an average of 1.29 million viewers in the UK last Tuesday - a total of 2.2 million viewers had tuned in. The report also noted that following Morgan’s exit on March 9, 2021, the ratings rapidly dipped the next day (its peak number of viewers standing at 1.8 million, and an average of 1.2 million), on March 11, 2021, (average of 932,000 viewers), and March 12, 2021 (average of 856,100 viewers).
Who is Ben Shephard?
The 46-year-old English presenter and journalist was once the main presenter on 'GMTV'. He has been co-hosting the 'Good Morning Britain' show alongside Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway and Charlotte Hawkins since April 2014.
The father-of-two, who is married to Annie Perks, has also hosted game shows such as 'The Krypton Factor', 'Tipping Point' and 'Ninja Warrior UK'.
Kevin O’Sullivan, a TV critic who used to work with Morgan, hailed Shephard's new achievement but was sceptical if he could make it as big as Morgan. "Ben is an excellent broadcaster and obviously knows what he is doing, but will he bring back that large number of the audience that left when Piers Morgan did? I just don’t think he can."