Fan favourite This Morning stars’ futures revealed after furious tug-of-war between channels
Viewing figures have fallen by half, to as low as 486,000, since Cat and Ben arrived
POPULAR duo Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary are to remain at This Morning after bosses won a tug-of-war between channels.
Execs went all-out to secure the viewer favourites after both booked jobs on rival stations and are thrilled they have locked them in as lead hosts of the summer schedule.
Back-up pair Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle had been considered as leads but will now form the rolling support rota with other members of the show’s stable of presenters including Joel Dommett.
Show executives believe Alison, 49, and Dermot, 51 — denied the top job when Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard replaced Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in March — will give ailing ratings a shot in the arm over the summer.
Last Friday, under Alison and Dermot, viewing figures were at 620,000.
A source said: “Viewers love Alison and Dermot so locking them in for the summer was a priority.
“Josie and Craig are great but execs couldn’t risk losing their best names when a spotlight’s on the show.
“It’s hoped a decent summer run from Ali and Dermot could get things off to a head-start when Cat and Ben return in September.”
Concerns were raised after Alison was booked for two new BBC projects — Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend and Florida Unpacked, a travel show with her son Aiden, 19, which was set to film this summer.
Dermot has also landed a major gig as host of a new gameshow for UKTV’s Dave.
The source said: “Things looked a bit wobbly when Ali booked the travel show.
“It’s due to film in Florida before September. Thankfully, the schedules have worked out.”
A spokesman for This Morning said: “Our summer presenting line-up will be announced in due course.”
Last month The Sun reported that on May 9 under Cat and Ben, This Morning brought in 486,000 viewers. The year to date average, however, is 637,000 per episode.
In the first half of 2024, This Morning reported it has reached 17.5million viewers, up 300k on the same period in 2023 under Holly and Phil.