‘This Morning’ marked its new time slot with a bell-ringing at Liverpool Cathedral.
The ITV magazine show started at the earlier time of 10am on Monday (06.01.20) as the programme has expanded to two and a half hours until its usual finish time at 12.30pm as part of a scheduling shakeup.
Hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby led a countdown introducing the first episode of the exciting new era, and co-star Alison Hammond was on hand at the cathedral to ring the bells to mark the 10am debut.
The presenters looked awestruck, with Phillip said: "Oh, that’s beautiful."
Holly commented on the bell-ringers, adding: "Oh, look at them go – I want a go!"
When the duo were told the biggest bell weighed 14 tonnes, she joked: "Imagine if she just shot up it!"
The team were already in a celebratory mood after Lorraine Kelly – whose own show preceded ‘This Morning’ in its new 9am time slot after ‘Good Morning Britain’ ran for three hours from 6am – sent some special cupcakes to the studio.
Holly said: "Lorraine, you really know the way to our heart with these cakes, thank you very much!"
The cheeky TV star quipped: "It’s shameless bribery, I was up all night making those. If you believe that, you’ll believe anything!"
Meanwhile, therapist husband and wife duo Nik and Eva Speakman took to social media shortly before the show went on air to mark the new start time.
They wrote: "What a great start to the New Year @thismorning starts at 10.00am and is half an hour longer!
"How exciting. It’s going to be a great year! #ThisMorning (sic)"
The changes come after ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’, which used to air in between ‘Lorraine’ and ‘This Morning’, was axed earlier this year after a guest was found dead after appearing on the programme.
Following the May cancellation, ‘Dickinson’s Real Deal’ took The Jeremy Kyle Show’s place in the 9.25am to 10.30am time slot, before ‘Judge Rinder’ aired at that time.
The schedule changes mean ITV’s daytime schedule – completed by ‘Loose Women’ at 12.30pm – will be fully live from 6am to 1.30pm on weekdays.
This Morning marks 10am launch with cathedral bell ringing
