Feuding Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield returned to This Morning today – as insiders branded the show’s ratings a “wake-up call” amid claims Phil could face suspension this summer.
Phil, 61, and Holly, 42, have failed to address their split on air, but 170,000 viewers watched Monday’s episode less than the week before, amid claims the pair seemed “uncomfortable.”
Concerns over the future of the breakfast program have led to speculation of an impending staff shake-up, with insiders claiming that Phil could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell.
Speak against The sunSaid a source: ‘This Morning is gearing up for some seismic changes this summer – Phil will be lined up as the first big name for the chop when his contract expires this summer. Seeing the response from This Morning viewers was a wake-up call.”
But PR expert Mark Borkowski downplayed the likelihood of imminent staff moves, saying ITV would try to ‘ride out of the cyclone’.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield live on This Morning for the third program this week
Today’s show opened with a segment on how to care for your lawn
He told MailOnline: ‘I think ITV and program executives will indeed take a long look at the presenters.
“Maybe it’s a time to change and regenerate with two fresh faces. But don’t write obituaries just yet.
‘Viewing figures fluctuate and I’m sure bosses will look at aggregates long term.
“It’s about looking at all options and not bowing to social media spikes.”
Mr Borkowski labeled the scandal as ‘a storm in a teacup’, adding: ‘The whole fuss proves how valuable the format is to ITV.’
One reported cause of fallout was that Phil allegedly failed to tell Holly about his brother Timothy’s trial for child crimes.
Timothy has been convicted and awaits sentencing.
During the trial, Phil took a three-week break from This Morning and publicly rejected his brother.
Last week, Phil released a statement about their friendship without consulting Holly first, which would also have affected the friendship.
Phil is leaving his house today to head to London’s This Morning studios
Holly – pictured this morning – has had a spectacular fight with her former best friend, it is alleged
Figures showed that Monday’s episode was watched by an average of 726,720 people, compared to 894,000 on the same day last week.
Peak viewership was also significantly down to 914,000 compared to 1.058 million on May 8.
The duo, on the other hand, attracted 1.3 million viewers for their Christmas show in 2022 and averaged 1.4 million in the first four weeks of 2021.
Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting following a flurry of negative feedback on social media about Monday’s show.
After seeing the reaction on Twitter, with viewers following both Holly and Phil, ITV bosses are pondering what to do next.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Social media is used as a barometer to see what the public thinks.
Those responsible were under no illusions that it was a total disaster.
It was painful for the This Morning team to work on it and just as painful for them to watch.
‘Afterwards there was a meeting to discuss how it went. That went on for a while.
“Honestly, everyone was just so relieved it was over, but even if the show goes on for a while, it’s going to be a huge headache.”
Phil, who has hosted the show since 2002, could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell (left)
It comes as a relationship expert who appeared on This Morning launched a blistering attack on Phil, calling him the “monster of daytime TV.”
Appearing on GB News, Louise Van Der Velde called for him to be scrapped, saying she found him “arrogant” and “fake”.
She told host Dan Wootton, “My outlook has always been, when I’m working, to be respectful to people and you basically expect the same treatment in return.
“With Phil, he’s like this monster from daytime TV. He is rude, people have to sit still and talk when spoken to – it’s just a very aggressive attitude.
“As nice as I’ve been, he’s been arrogant. He’s all nice and all smiles for the camera and jolly…
“But honestly he’s fake and it’s about time he busted.”