As Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley returned to their hosting duties on This Morning this week, not all fans were happy to see them.
The duo took over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in March.
However, they’ve faced a rocky start – with reports of ratings plummeting and complaints from viewers.
Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley return to This Morning
Cat and Ben present the ITV daytime show from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary take the reigns.
Despite their hosting experience, fans have criticised Cat and Ben from the start.
And as the duo returned for their first show since the May half-term break, social media was ablaze with comments from viewers who were less than pleased.
One viewer expressed their disappointment bluntly: “No, I stopped watching it when Cat started. Ben is a fab presenter, its not a good mix.”
“Cat and Ben are the worst hosts! Morning Live on BBC is much better,” another unimpressed audience member stated.
A third tweeted a complaint: “Can’t watch these two.”
It is a challenging task to win over the hearts of an established viewer base, and loyal fans of This Morning are struggling to accept the new hosts.
This Morning presenters
When Cat and Ben stepped up to the plate full-time in March, many hoped the show would find its feet after the turbulent past few months.
However, contrary to expectations, not much has changed. Reports have claimed that the show has experienced a significant drop in viewership.
A source told The Sun: “Nobody at This Morning thought viewing figures would dip beneath the landmark low of half a million.
“The arrival of Ben and Cat was supposed to spark a resurgence and hopefully keep the ratings above the million mark. But within a couple of weeks it became apparent they hadn’t done the trick.”
They continued by questioning the future of the show, claiming it was “difficult to justify” the production costs when viewership was dwindling.
However, ITV released a statement assuring fans that the show wasn’t going anywhere.
“This Morning continues to reach over 4 million viewers a week. It remains one of the most streamed programmes on ITVX in 2024,” they said.
Read more: ‘Massive question mark’ hanging over the future of This Morning: ‘Difficult to justify the costs’
So what do you think? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.