Eamonn Holmes Casts Doubt on Future of ITV’s Daytime Shows and Broadcaster’s Longevity
Veteran broadcaster Eamonn Holmes has delivered a stark assessment of the future of ITV’s flagship daytime programmes, including Loose Women and This Morning, suggesting they may soon be a thing of the past. Holmes, who co-hosted This Morning with his former wife Ruth Langsford from 2006 until 2021, believes the financial realities facing ITV are unsustainable for such productions.
His comments come in the wake of significant budget cuts announced by ITV earlier this year, which saw over 220 jobs axed and programmes like Loose Women and Lorraine reportedly shifting to a seasonal broadcast model. Holmes views these measures as a critical warning sign for the future, extending his concerns to the potential demise of ITV as a standalone broadcaster.
Speaking at a recent “An Audience With…” event in London, Holmes articulated his view that the television landscape has fundamentally changed. “Television has really changed,” he stated. “There’s not the budgets associated with programmes anymore, and you’ve got to ask yourselves, ‘Do you even watch TV anymore?’ And if so, ‘What programmes do you watch?’” He added, “It’s going to change more and more. It’s quite obvious now that TV now can’t afford programmes like This Morning. For the audience they get from what money they spend on it, that’s a danger sign, which is a great pity.”
The financial pressures on ITV have been evident, with reports earlier this year indicating that the broadcaster was in discussions to sell its Media and Entertainment division to Sky for a substantial £1.6 billion. While these talks have reportedly slowed, Holmes predicts a different fate for ITV. He believes the company is likely to be acquired by an American media giant, with the intention of transforming it into a streaming-focused entity. “What’s going to happen next, you’re going to lose ITV, no doubt about it, and it’ll be sold to an American company, or something, and then they’re going to make it into a streaming company. I can’t see ITV lasting much longer.”
Holmes’s pessimistic outlook extends beyond ITV, as he also suggested that Channel 4 might cease to exist in its current form. When questioned on how the television industry could salvage itself, he expressed little optimism. “I don’t think it can save itself,” he admitted. “Honestly, 10 years from now, it’ll be all over, but you’ll get it all on Sky or whatever. You will not have general audience stuff like ITV and Channel 4. They’ll not exist anymore.”
The BBC’s Resilience and a Changing Presenter Landscape
In contrast to his views on commercial broadcasters, Holmes believes the publicly funded BBC is more likely to endure. He suggested that while the BBC might face a reduced budget, its established size and the inclusion of radio services would contribute to its survival. “The BBC is big enough,” he commented. “It’ll have a much-reduced budget, but it’s big enough for radio to be involved in it as well. I think it’ll stay, and there’ll be a national outcry if anything happened to the BBC.”
Holmes and Langsford, who announced their separation in May 2024 after 14 years of marriage, were a familiar fixture on This Morning, fronting the Friday edition for many years. Reflecting on his tenure, Holmes expressed gratitude, stating, “I’ve been very lucky to have always enjoyed the jobs. I didn’t have to work on a programme that I didn’t want to be on, which was good.”
The presenting line-up for This Morning has seen further changes following the departures of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in 2023. Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard have since taken over as the regular hosts of the show.
A Hilarious Encounter with Mariah Carey
Beyond his reflections on the television industry, Holmes also shared an amusing anecdote from his extensive career, recounting an interview that famously went awry with global superstar Mariah Carey. According to Holmes, the Grammy-winning singer arrived a staggering four hours late for a scheduled interview. To compound the delay, upon her eventual arrival, Carey reportedly decided to lie down and take a nap instead of commencing the conversation.
Holmes explained that he was informed by Carey’s team that she was “tired” because she had only woken up at 9 am. This explanation left him unimpressed, particularly as he had been awake since 4 am that morning.
In a moment of candid humour, Holmes revealed his unconventional response to the situation. He decided to lie down on the sofa next to Carey, suggesting they could complete the interview in that relaxed state. This bold move, however, apparently incensed Carey’s entourage. As a result, Holmes declared the interview cancelled and promptly walked out.
Recounting the incident, Holmes described the chaotic scene: “Say the interview was at 11 o’clock in the morning, and she wasn’t there she didn’t turn up, 12 o’clock, one o’clock, they said ‘hang on, she’ll be here, she’ll be here’. Bearing in mind I’ve been up from four o’clock that particular day so I’m going, ‘what the hell’s going on here,’ so I said ‘right if she’s not here in the next 10 minutes I’m going’.”
He continued to detail Carey’s arrival and her immediate decision to recline: “So she comes through the door, and she immediately lies down on the chaise-longue, and closes her eyes. And I said ‘what the f**k is going on here?’ They said ‘Ms Carey is very tired, she’s very tired, she’s been up from nine o’clock this morning’.”
Holmes’s exasperated reply was, “She’s been up from f*g nine o’clock I’ve been up from four!” This led to his decision to lie down beside her, a move he noted he “wouldn’t do now, because things have changed.” The ensuing “ructions” from Carey’s team were significant, but Holmes stood his ground, proposing, “Ms Carey’s tired, I’ve been up earlier than she has, I’m tired too, so we’re both going to lie down here.” When informed that Carey would not be sitting up, Holmes concluded, “well Mr Holmes certainly won’t be doing the interview,” and departed.
