This Morning ratings plunge ‘a wake-up call’ amid Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby feud
Alarm bells set on This Morning as insider brand ratings pour a ‘wake-up call’ amid Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby feud – as ITV bosses ‘keep an eye on Phil over the summer’
- The pair failed to address the split when they returned to This Morning on Monday
The ratings This Morning has suffered is a “wake-up call,” a TV insider said today – amid claims that Phillip Schofield could be axed in a “summer shake-up.”
Co-hosts Phil, 61, and Holly, 42, have been marred with claims of a breakdown in their behind-the-scenes friendship.
The pair failed to address their split during This Morning yesterday or Monday, but viewers described them as “uneasy.”
Now Phillip, who has hosted the show since 2002, could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell, The Sun reports.
Holly Willoughby’s job is considered safe, but the host feels ‘trapped’ by the crisis and is considering quitting the show, a source told The Mirror.
Phillip Schofield is reportedly facing the dismissal of This Morning in the summer shake-up, while Holly Willoughby is said to be considering quitting the show
Phillip, who has hosted the show since 2002, could be forced out along with top producer Martin Frizell (left)
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.
“It’s highly unlikely he’ll be back in September.”
While an insider told The mirror that Holly loves her job but is struggling to deal with the situation.
They said, “Removing herself from the situation helped her protect herself.”
Phillip is trying to put an end to the ongoing feud after it emerged he had brought in his own lawyers over the argument with his co-host, sources have revealed. He has also hired a new PR man to improve his press coverage.
One reported cause of effect is that Phillip allegedly failed to tell Holly about his brother Timothy’s trial for child crimes. Timothy has been convicted and awaits sentencing.
During the trial, Phillip took a three-week break from This Morning and publicly rejected his brother.
Last week, Phillip released a statement about their friendship without consulting Holly first, which also allegedly affected the friendship.
Phillip and Holly have yet to discuss their on-air feud and have continued to air their show as usual – despite losing 170,000 viewers in a week.
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 backlash on Twitter, with viewers watching both Holly and Phillip, 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.
‘There was a meeting afterwards to discuss how things were going, that had been going on for a while. Honestly, everyone was so relieved it was over, but even if the show goes on for a while, it’s going to be a huge headache.”