ITV's daytime television shows are facing backstage tensions following budget cuts that have forced stars to share dressing rooms and toilets in cramped new studios. According to reports, only Lorraine Kelly retains her own private dressing room and toilet, while other presenters and crew members for programmes including This Morning, Loose Women, and Lorraine must share facilities.
The move to smaller studios in MultiStory, after leaving spacious premises in White City, West London, has led to cramped conditions. A source told The Sun that some stars have had to change in meeting rooms, with Christine Lampard reportedly using a meeting room for wardrobe changes. The source added that the building is 'like Fawlty Towers' due to frequent lift breakdowns, and that talent now take social media photos in 'drab stairwells' instead of in front of branded walls.
Lorraine Kelly is understood to be the only presenter with her own dressing room and toilet, although she does share her dressing room with guests. The source claimed she has been 'more than happy to share her toilet' and that everyone is 'mucking in together'. Additionally, the 'glam squads' have been reduced, and there are fewer dressing rooms overall.
In response to the reports, an ITV spokesperson said: 'ITV daytime have been at the new state of the art MultiStory studios for over a month now and have adapted to the new surroundings successfully with the new space and look seeing an increase in audience share year on year and its digital output achieving almost 50million views every month.'
The budget cuts have also affected scheduling: Loose Women will now air for only 30 weeks of the year instead of 52. However, an ITV source previously told The Mirror that no radical panel changes are planned, emphasising the value of longstanding panellists. Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV’s Media and Entertainment Division, said the changes enable reinvestment in other genres and consolidation of news operations.
