How is 'Good Morning Britain' faring without Piers Morgan? Internet calls it a 'snoozefest' after host's exit
British journalist and television presenter Piers Morgan quit his role as the host of ‘Good Morning Britain’ after refusing to apologize for his comments post the controversial interview given by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to Oprah Winfrey. Since his exit from the ITV show, Morgan has bragged that he has been spoilt for choice after getting "bombarded" with job offers. But how have his previous employers fared since they lost their resident agent provocateur?
As per reports, 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 numbers revealed that the show had beaten ‘BBC Breakfast’ for the first time since its launch in April 2014 - the latter was reportedly seen by an average of 1.25 million viewers, according to overnight BARB figures. But things have gone downhill since.
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As per a report in the Daily Mail, the show's ratings took a hit, with its average viewers down by 255,700 compared to last Monday. On Monday, March 15, the show reportedly had just 1.3 million people tuning in at its peak; with an average of 895,700 viewers. This when compared to the show’s numbers the previous Monday, March 8 -- 1.9 million viewers tuned in to watch, with an average of 1.15 million viewers -- fell very short. This was also lower than the number on Monday before that, March 1 - with a peak viewership of 1.7 million, with an average of 978,000.
The report also noted that following Morgan’s exit last Tuesday, the ratings rapidly dipped on Wednesday (its peak number of viewers standing at 1.8 million, and an average of 1.2 million), Thursday (average of 932,000 viewers), and Friday (average of 856,100 viewers).
On social media, the public’s attitude explains this dip in ratings. A Twitter user wrote to Morgan and said that the show “isn’t the same without you, the show feels flat and toothless without you.” Another said that without Morgan, the show felt like a “snoozefest”.
“Love him or loath him, watching #GMB this morning without @piersmorgan is like watching a carbon copy of BBC Breakfast. The passion and bite has left the building, and that’s what made it so good to watch. It’s as hard-hitting as Candy Floss now,” was another take.
@piersmorgan #GMB really isn’t the same without you, the show feels flat and toothless without you
— michael cahill (@mikecahill80) March 16, 2021
Somethings I dis/agree with @piersmorgan, but without him #gmb is dull, boring and they just got shut down by Patsy Palmer. Lmao 😆 That would not have happened is he was there.
— Tariq (@tariq2k87) March 17, 2021
@piersmorgan I'm begging you, I need you back on #gmb my mornings suck without you... I'll pay.... A steady supply of whatever sweets you choose. #PiersMorgan
— SarahLN (@chantry5) March 16, 2021
Love him or loath him, watching #GMB this morning without @piersmorgan is like watching a carbon copy of BBC Breakfast. The passion and bite has left the building, and that’s what made it so good to watch. It’s as hard hitting as Candy Floss now.
— AngryBritain.com (@AngryBritain) March 16, 2021
Reportedly, a formal complaint was lodged with ITV on behalf of Meghan against Morgan after his March 8 morning broadcast. In the wake of several comments he made about Meghan on TV after the interview, more than 41,000 complaints were made to Britain's media regulator, Ofcom, which announced an investigation under its “harm and offense” rules.
Speaking the morning after the interview aired, Morgan said that he did not believe the duchess's remarks in her interview with Winfrey, during which she spoke about her mental health and having suicidal thoughts. The following day, when ‘Good Morning Britain’ co-host Alex Beresford called him out for his seemingly personal vendetta against Meghan, Morgan stormed off the show’s sets. Shortly afterward, he left his position.