ITV power cuts forced Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women off the air on Wednesday, giving viewers an unexpected break from the daytime schedule and prompting calls for permanent changes.
Power Cut Disrupts Daytime Lineup
Lorraine Kelly was on her way to the studios when she told fans: "I'm on my way to work, but there's been a little bit of a hoo-ha. There's a power outage at the studio, so my show won't be on today." The 66-year-old added: "It's a bit of a shame; I was really looking forward to talking to Sharleen Spiteri from [the rock band] Texas, but we shall reschedule, and it'll all be fine. I will see you tomorrow."
The power cut not only axed Lorraine but also led to the cancellation of This Morning, leaving Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley in the lurch. Loose Women was also called off for the day, forcing a scheduling reshuffle that saw Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals, which first aired in 2019, take its place at 12.30pm.
Viewer Reactions and Concerns
The daytime programme, which airs between Good Morning Britain and This Morning, has been described as a boring filler that repeats everything ITV viewers have already heard on GMB. Having already been shortened from one hour to 30 minutes, the power cut was seen by some as the best thing to happen to the talk show, which has run for 16 years.
This Morning still occupied its regular slot but aired a best-of pre-recorded compilation instead of its live broadcast, giving viewers another unprecedented mid-week break from the predictable streams of forced laughter.
Broadcaster's Response and Future Hopes
With the power cuts sparking panic among technicians, an insider suggested ITV could have a bigger issue at hand. According to a source via The Sun: "There's panic it won't be resolved in time for tomorrow. It appears to be a wider area outage rather than just the studio, and it's not an easy fix. Daytime is worried about plans going south for the rest of the week. Lots of work and planning could go to waste."
The broadcaster has since stated: "Following a power cut overnight in the wider area where our Covent Garden studio is based, we are unable to broadcast Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women live today. We will return to our normal schedule as soon as possible."
While the programmes have since appeared to return to normal scheduling, there are hopes that bosses will admit Lorraine has run its course and shorten This Morning's run time, with a mid-morning episode of a beloved sitcom potentially injecting some glee after almost four hours of news.
