After a shaky start, it soon became a breakfast TV fixture, pulling in audiences of more than a million.
But with viewing figures now on the slide, Good Morning Britain is facing the biggest overhaul in its 11-year history as bosses try to cut costs.
And the plans for a revamp have given rise to fears of a ‘mutiny’ behind the scenes, with job losses looking likely for off-camera staff.
Executives want to retain much of the show’s ‘familiar feel’, but they also hope the overhaul could narrow the gap with BBC Breakfast – which has led the ratings war between the pair.
Around 400,000 viewers separate the two titans, with GMB now pulling in 700,000 at most and its BBC competitor regularly seeing more than a million tuning in.
The revamp at ITV will see the breakfast show merged with the network’s news operation, produced by ITN, alongside additional changes which are yet to be decided.
One option could include moving to a new studio – sparking alarm among staff behind the scenes – and another involves plans to make the show more like BBC Breakfast.
The shift to work with ITV News staff has prompted insiders to believe GMB will have a ‘slightly more serious’ approach than the current topical magazine format. These plans come a few months after ITV announced a new director of news and current affairs, Andrew Dagnell, who previously oversaw its network news output as editor of ITV News.
With viewing figures now on the slide, Good Morning Britain is facing the biggest overhaul in its 11-year history as bosses try to cut costs
The revamp at ITV will see the breakfast show merged with the network’s news operation, produced by ITN, alongside additional changes which are yet to be decided
Since Piers Morgan’s (left) dramatic departure from the show in 2021, original presenter Susanna Reid (right) has been joined by a merry-go-round of co-stars
Union chiefs representing those working on the show have expressed ‘concern’ in internal memos, but insiders say the well-regarded new appointment is a big fan of its existing stars and unlikely to wield the axe.
A TV source said: ‘Obviously any talk of major change starts panic – lots of the staff were immediately worried about the security of their jobs.
‘This is about streamlining ITV’s news output across the whole day, and having separate teams doubling up just doesn’t make sense.
‘So it may well be that some correspondents end up appearing across the whole day’s schedule, rather than being specifically attached to GMB or ITV News.
‘There could be a new set and a new feel, and a more continuous feel to ITV’s news bulletins throughout the whole day as a result.
‘But people are very much likely to lose their jobs so there is a lot of upset, anger and in some cases, mutiny.’
Since Piers Morgan’s dramatic departure from the show in 2021, original presenter Susanna Reid has been joined by a merry-go-round of co-stars.
These have including Richard Madeley and former Labour politician Ed Balls – but none have proven to have the same drawing power as Morgan.
