GOOD MORNING QUITTIN'
After Good Morning Britain ratings collapse they’ll be on the phone to Piers Morgan again
EX-GMB host Piers Morgan revealed that ITV had been in touch about a possible return – and after this week I reckon they’ll be on the blower again.
Wednesday’s show pulled in a peak audience of just 660,000 — a fraction of the 1.8million viewers who were tuning in when he sensationally quit.
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That viewing high in March saw Good Morning Britain beat BBC Breakfast for the first time.
But it quickly lost the advantage over its arch rival after Piers left following a row over his criticism of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's US TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
As the new figures emerged yesterday, Piers tweeted: “Jeez. Should I set my alarm for 4.45am again?”
The plunge was the talk of Twitter this week, with one observer saying “Piers must be thrilled.”
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Shock return
But his response was far from gloating. He simply said: “No, sad.” Others took to social media to back him, saying: “Viewing figures don’t lie. @gmb not worth watching without the inimitable @piersmorgan.”
This week Susanna Reid was also off, which contributed to the poor numbers for Wednesday’s edition, hosted by Adil Ray and Ranvir Singh.
But viewers pointed out that even when Susanna is on air, she hasn’t been enough to prevent the ratings slide. The Sun exclusively revealed on Saturday that Piers had been contacted by ITV bosses about making a shock return to Good Morning Britain.
And the star was confident he could get viewers to return to the show. He said: “I’ve no doubt I could take the ratings back to where I left them.” Piers is wrong — I’m sure he’d get the ratings even higher than when he left.
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TIME FOR A ROW, STEPHEN?
THEY play lovers in new BBC1 drama Time, and Stephen Graham and wife Hannah Walters gave fans a peek into their home life during a launch event for the show.
The pair play married couple Eric and Sonia in the Beeb’s gritty Jimmy McGovern prison drama, which starts on Sunday.
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And they had fans in stitches when they admitted having a “proper domestic” moments before going live.
They playfully bickered throughout the evening, poking fun at each other over household chores.
Stephen joked: “I’m surprised you can’t feel the chemistry now – we’re just in the midst of a proper domestic. She half wanted to kill me before we came here."
Hannah added quickly: “We’ll do this after, shall we? Nobody needs to be involved in this. He’s my best friend and I want to kill him at times but I just adore him.”
McGovern's plea
STEPH McGovern has revealed she once mistakenly thought football legend Sir Alex Ferguson was her driver and started to get inside his car at a train station.
Speaking on her Channel 4 show Steph’s Packed Lunch, she recalled: “I said, ‘Do you mind helping me with my case?’
He went ‘What are you doing?’ ”
SAS SEAN IN RACISM TORMENT
ONE of the recruits on SAS: Who Dares Wins has opened up about the racism he endured as a youngster – admitting he used to scrub his skin with bleach.
In Sunday’s episode of the Channel 4 show, mixed race Sean discusses the abuse he suffered when his mum moved him to a predominantly white area.
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The sports teacher, from Manchester, said: “I suffered racism for about two years and never spoke about it. I hated the colour of my skin.
I wanted to be like the rest of my friends. There were times I’d go home, look at my colour and ask myself why.
“One day, I got some bleach, poured it down my arm and I scrubbed for a good ten minutes until it stung, until it burned. At the time that was where my head was at.”
But on a positive note, Sean admits his tough upbringing gave him the grit to handle the show’s gruelling challenges.
JODIE IN TEARS AT HAYLEY
KILLING Eve’s Jodie Comer revealed she was reduced to tears by an unlikely moment in Hayley Squires’ drama, Adult Material.
Hayley played a porn star in the C4 show and is nominated alongside Jodie for the best leading actress award at Sunday’s Virgin Media TV Baftas.
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Speaking with Hayley ahead of the ceremony, Jodie said: “I was like, ‘I’m crying – and this is the first time I’ve ever cried at a sex scene’.
“But let’s be honest, that’s because of the full circle arc of your character.
"I could cry now, it was so beautiful.”
Good luck to their fellow nominees in the category: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Billie Piper, Letitia Wright and Michaela Coel.
JAMIE’S PLATE ESCAPE
AFTER months stuck inside, Jamie Oliver is serving up a post-lockdown cookery show.
His new Channel 4 series, Together, sees him produce a string of recipes designed to create meals for those long-awaited reunions with wider friends and family.
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Most read in News TV
And alongside the food, the four-parter will offer hacks, tips and tricks to set the scene and create the perfect ambience.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The show will air this autumn and sees Jamie treating some heroes of the pandemic, including NHS workers, with dishes from his new book, Together, which is released in September.
What a happy coincidence.
MARK WENT STRONG
TEMPLE star Mark Strong has revealed he auditioned to be a James Bond baddie but it went horribly wrong after a night on the lash with 007 hero Daniel Craig.
The star of the Sky drama, speaking on Sky One’s There’s Something About Movies, said of the audition: “I started, then I just forgot my lines.”
Richard Madeley lets slip Piers Morgan was LEAVING Good Morning Britain for two months before shock exit in March
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