This Morning’s ratings have fallen since Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard started directing the show, according to a new report.
Following the departures of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the ITV show was thrown into chaos as producers rushed to find permanent replacements.
Cat, 47, and Ben, 49, were finally unveiled as the show’s new hosts last month, with their debut episode attracting an average viewership of 806,000 and a peak of one million – one of the show’s highest viewing figures from 2024 to date to.
But the next week saw the figure dive to as low as 692,500, down from both Holly and Phillip’s last day, when 767,00 people tuned in.
A source said The sun: ‘The hope was that the new duo would bring an atmosphere of stability and familiarity back to This Morning. It is still relatively early, but the omens are not good.’
This Morning’s ratings have fallen since Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard started directing the show, according to a new report (pictured last week)
Following the departure of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the ITV show was thrown into chaos as producers rushed to find permanent replacements (pictured in June 2018)
They added: ‘After the initial surge of interest on their first day in business, viewing figures dropped back to six figures almost immediately.
‘ITV bosses will be hoping they can turn things around before the next big milestone because they are so confident that Ben and Cat will be a success.’
MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.
After almost a year of turmoil, This Morning producers hoped to turn the show’s fortunes around with two brand new presenters.
And it seemed like bringing in Cat and Ben paid off, as their debut episode averaged 806,000 viewers and peaked at one million.
ITV hoped the duo would provide stability to viewers after months of uncertainty and a revolving door of presenters following the departure of Holly and Phillip.
The pair seemed to impress fans, with many saying they saved the show.
One person posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: ‘Love seeing Cat and Ben a breath of fresh air, a great duo. A great revamp this morning is long overdue.”
Another said: ‘Brilliant! I can now look forward to watching the show again. Mornings spent with Ben and Cat, wonderful!’
Cat, 47, and Ben, 49, were finally unveiled as the show’s new hosts last month, with their debut episode attracting an average viewership of 806,000 and a peak of one million.
But the following week the figure fell to a low of 692,500, lower than the last day of both Holly and Phillip, when 767,00 people tuned in.
And the proof of its success was in the pudding after the show peaked at over a million viewers – 200,000 more than the show had previously received.
In January this year the show peaked at 888,000 viewers and in February it reached 942,000.
And on Monday, March 4, a week before the relaunch, a peak of just 837,000 people watched.
Schofield announced his departure from the show in May 2023 after his romance with a younger male colleague was made public.
Shortly afterwards, ITV bosses were reportedly forced to ‘act quickly’ after viewing figures fell to an average of 726,000.
In contrast, the duo averaged 1.3 million viewers in 2022 and 1.4 million in 2021.
In October last year, Ms Willoughby also announced she was leaving the show after 14 years after a man was charged in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her.
Since Holly and Phillip’s departure, Alison Hammond, 49, and Dermot O’Leary, 50, have stepped in regularly and continue to host the show on Fridays.
Cat and Ben seemed to impress fans, with many saying they saved the show after their debut
Since their departure, Alison Hammond, 49, and Dermot O’Leary, 50, have stepped in regularly.
And other guest presenters included Rylan Clark, 35, Emma Willis, 47, Rochelle Humes, 34, Craig Doyle, 53, and Steve Jones, 46.
Shephard and Mrs Deeley will present the show from Monday to Thursday, while Alison and Dermot will continue to present the Friday edition.
