Lorraine Kelly had an opportunity and she took it as she made a sly dig at Richard Madeley during Good Morning Britain. The TV presenter appeared on the ITV news programme as usual to tease her own show.
Speaking to Richard and his co-host Susanna Reid, Lorraine, 62, revealed that she had a popular TV star heading into the studio to chat with her on her self-titled programme.
After talking about what else she has to come on Wednesday's show (May 11) she said: "Richard, you might be interested in this! Steve Coogan is on the show!"
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Richard is frequently compared to the actor and comic's iconic character Alan Partridge by GMB viewers thanks to his own interviewing techniques that more often than not get them talking on social media.
In response, Richard pretended to not know what she was hinting at and said with a smile: "Now why would I be interested in that?" As he laughed, Susanna then chipped in: "We're all interested in that, Lorraine!"
The 65-year-old former This Morning host has previously spoken about the comparisons he gets to Coogan's character. Last year, prior to entering the I'm A Celebrity castle, where his stint was cut short due to a hospital trip, Richard said: "I honestly don’t care at all. I think it’s quite funny. It’s part and parcel of doing the job that I do.
"It’s so important in this business, and particularly the arena that I operate in, that you don’t take yourself seriously. Because if you do, you’re going to have a very unhappy time. So if people want to take sentences that I say or little ponderings, [and think], ‘Oh, that’s so Alan Partridge,’ good luck to them."
Last month Richard spoke about his future on GMB. He has been taking on the main host role alongside the likes of Susanna, Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway as the show continues to change its male host since Piers Morgan's dramatic exit last year.
He told Kate Thornton's White Wine Question Time podcast about the new challenge without his wife Judy Finnigan: "In terms of what I do on my own, which at the moment is Good Morning Britain, although who knows how long that will go on for.
"I do it month to month at the moment and I'm very happy to. I quite like operating at that level. I've had my main career curve. I'm not seeking another huge career arch. We'll see what happens, but I enjoy it, I enjoy doing it."
