Watching This Morning last week was a surreal experience. We viewers became body language experts, assessing whether or not reports of a falling out between Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were true. The show’s hosts continued to act as if everything was fine, even running a news review that ignored the fact their relationship was dominating half of the front pages.
But with Schofield stepping down from This Morning “with immediate effect” on Saturday afternoon, the show that had acted as if it was broadcasting from a parallel universe was forced to address the subject it had been so rigorously avoiding.
After Lorraine Kelly ended her preceding show by talking about a “big story” from the weekend – “Beyoncé has been splashing out at a Nando’s” – the first sign that anything was amiss came in the opening titles, newly shorn of Schofield and Willoughby. Then Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond appeared, with O’Leary delivering surely the flattest “Hello and welcome to Monday’s This Morning” in the show’s history.
“Now, we can’t start today’s show without paying tribute to the man who spent the last two decades sitting on This Morning’s sofa, Phillip Schofield,” said Hammond, as a montage of Schofield photos appeared on screen, giving the impression that he had died.
“So, as a show, everyone on and off screen at ITV and This Morning want to say a huge thank you to Phil for what he has done to make the show such a success over the last 21 years,” added O’Leary.
“Quite simply, we all know he is one of the best live television broadcasters this country has ever had. And we and all the team wish him all the best for the future,” Hammond concluded.
That was it: 30 seconds, with no explanation about why he had left, merely a followup mentioning that Willoughby would be returning in June. The reaction from viewers was probably the same as you would expect from Pam in Gavin & Stacey (pointing at the screen, yelling: “IS THAT IT?”). In fact, many This Morning regulars may have missed the statement altogether, with the show starting slightly earlier than usual.
Once the statement was out of the way, Hammond and O’Leary continued to act as if everything was fine. A review of the day’s news followed, ignoring the Sun’s front page, which led with “PHIL: I’M COMPLETELY BROKEN”, and the Daily Mail’s: “How emoji in Holly’s message secretly shows what she REALLY thinks about Phil”. After talking about Suella Braverman’s speeding fine, Hammond and O’Leary brought up the big news from the weekend … yep, that’s right, Beyoncé going to Nando’s.
Later, there was a discussion about the menopause and an interview with Philip Glenister. At one point, the hosts mentioned a trip down memory lane, which for a second may have made viewers think about Schofield. It was a segment about Croatia.
The problem This Morning faces is the same one it had when Willoughby and Schofield were in situ. No matter how much the hosts try to talk about something else, we haven’t moved on, so the rest of the show fades into the background.
Coincidentally, last night’s pre-recorded episode of Family Fortunes, hosted by Gino d’Acampo, featured a round with the question: “Name somebody who regularly appears on the TV show This Morning.” The top answers were, of course, Willoughby and Schofield. That round of Family Fortunes lasted several minutes. Today, This Morning talked about Schofield for only 30 seconds.
• This Morning is broadcast on ITV every weekday
