This Morning poaches the boss of rival Channel 4 daytime series as Holly Willoughby returns to the bench after ‘riding the storm’ of the Phillip Schofield scandal
It’s a much-anticipated comeback that could determine whether one of ITV’s flagship programs can survive.
Holly Willoughby returns to the This Morning bank today after her eight-week summer break in an attempt to salvage it after the Phillip Schofield scandal that cast doubt on its future.
And it has emerged that the show has poached the boss of its rival Channel 4 daytime series Steph’s Packed Lunch, pending the results of an outside investigation into complaints about the network’s toxic work culture.
Vivek Sharma has been hired from the lunchtime show hosted by Steph McGovern to work closely with beleaguered This Morning editor Martin Frizell.
Mr Sharma’s appointment has sparked speculation among This Morning staff that the role of Mr Frizell, the show’s long-serving boss, may be in jeopardy.
Holly Willoughby (pictured in July) returns to the This Morning bank today after her eight-week summer break in a bid to salvage it after the Phillip Schofield scandal that cast doubt on its future
Vivek Sharma (pictured) has been hired from the lunchtime show hosted by Steph McGovern to work closely with beleaguered This Morning editor Martin Frizell. Mr Sharma’s appointment has sparked speculation among This Morning staff that the role of Mr Frizell, the show’s long-serving boss, may be in jeopardy
An ITV source said: ‘It came as a bit of a shock to some that Vivek was hired to work alongside Martin. They have known each other for a while and have also worked together.
‘But that timing, as the outcome of the study is expected, has led to a lot of talk about people’s future.
“One wonders if the review findings don’t go as ITV hopes then Vivek could get the big job at This Morning.”
ITV’s daytime head Emma Gormley, CEO Dame Carolyn McCall and her deputy Kevin Lygo are also in danger of losing their jobs as a result of the Schofield scandal.
Ms Willoughby, 42, is said to be “delighted” that her good friend Alison Hammond has This Morning with her, as she takes charge of running the show after co-presenting with Schofield for 14 years until he left in May.
She will also host with Dermot O’Leary, Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, while Welsh heartthrob presenter Steve Jones will appear on the couch in the not too distant future with ITV bosses raving about their on-screen chemistry.
Sources close to Ms Willoughby, who spent the summer in her lavish villa in Portugal, say she is excited to return.
Ms Willoughby, 42, is said to be “delighted” that her good friend Alison Hammond has This Morning with her, as she takes charge of running the show after co-presenting with Schofield for 14 years until he left in May. Willoughby and Hammond are pictured together on This Morning in March this year
It wasn’t a good year for This Morning after the Philip Schofield scandal earlier in May threw the program into turmoil. Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield are pictured together on Dancing On Ice in January
They add that she has “weathered the storm” but is aware that a huge responsibility rests on her shoulders.
There is deep-seated fear among bosses that they are not yet out of the woods as the results of the Schofield study are expected this month, which executives know they will have to publish in full.
Tomorrow Ms. Willoughby will be a guest at the National Television Awards, despite not being shortlisted for Best Presenter, although This Morning is up for Best Daytime Show.
Schofield, 61, was ousted in May after 21 years before admitting to a relationship with a much younger colleague and later lying about it. In a bombshell statement to the Daily Mail, the veteran TV presenter described this as “unwise but not illegal.”