Dermot O’Leary bags brand new BBC show away from This Morning after hosting shake-up

DERMOT O’Leary has announced his new BBC show – and it’s a far cry from This Morning.

Since Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby left the popular daytime show, the 50 year old has been a permanent memeber of its revolving cast.

Dermot has recently revealed that he will be joining the Royal National Lifeboat Institution for his new show, World War II Saving Lives at Sea.

The news comes after ITV announced that the TV star would be returning to his regular hosting slot on This Morning.

Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have become permanent hosts on the show, while Dermot will continue presenting on Fridays with Alison Hammond.

In a new career move, the TV personailty has revealed that he will be switching over to BBC to front a one-off special episode of Saving Lives at Sea. 

Since 2016, the father of one, who is also a long-time supporter of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, has been documenting rescues completed by the team. 

Now, Dermot has been appointed to examine the services’ involvement in the Second World War. 

The BBC Two special will be following the star as he visits various coastal lifeboat stations and tells stories from former crews.

Aldeburgh, Margate, St Peter Port, Cromer and Penlee Stations will all be featured in the Saving Lives at Sea episode.

Viewers will also gain insight into how the RNLI contributed to the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 and the occupation of Channel Island.

When asked about the upcoming show, the Essex-born presenter said: “As an ambassador for the RNLI and a huge history fan, it was a privilege for me to uncover some of the untold stories that saw ordinary volunteers get involved in some of the most extraordinary events of the Second World War.

“The brave men and women we heard about left a real impression on me, as did the present-day volunteers I was able to meet along the way, who are still saving lives at sea today.”

Mark Dowie, RNLI Chief Executive, added: “As the RNLI marks 200 years of lifesaving, we look forward to seeing this very special episode of Saving Lives at Sea sharing some of our incredible stories from the Second World War.

“As viewers will see, our lifeboat crews played a remarkable role during the war, with stories of great tragedy and also immense bravery featured in the episode.”

Mark also shared that the services saved 6,376 lives during the Second World War and that several lifeboat crews towed vessels stacked with explosives.

“[They] navigated minefields and rescued downed aircrew from both sides during the Battle of Britain,” he continued.

“And today, our selfless volunteers continue to go to the aid of those in peril at sea, whoever they are and wherever they are from, just like our lifeboat crews have been doing for 200 years.”

Most recently, ITV’s This Morning show was brutally snubbed at the TV Choice Awards after losing out to its daytime rival, BBC One‘s Animal Park, which Ben Fogle and Kate Humble present.

The World War II special of Saving Lives at Sea, fronted by Dermot O’Leary, is on BBC Two and iPlayer at 8 pm on Tuesday, March 12.