ITV was forced to pull This Morning, Loose Women and Lorraine off air at the last minute after a power cut at the broadcaster's Covent Garden Studios. A pre-recorded compilation of This Morning's best bits was broadcast in its place.
Power cut disrupts daytime schedule
The power cut overnight affected the wider area around the Covent Garden studio, leaving ITV unable to broadcast the three shows live. Lorraine Kelly addressed viewers on her way to work, saying: "Hello there, 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. But you can still watch GMB. They're going to fix it around 11 o'clockish. So, This Morning will still be on as well, just a bit later."
She added: "It's a bit of a shame. I was really looking forward to Sharleen Spiteri from Texas, but we shall reschedule, and it'll all be fine. I will see you tomorrow!"
ITV statement and viewer reaction
ITV issued a statement on the official This Morning Instagram account, saying: "Following a power cut overnight in the wider area where out 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 soon possible."
Good Morning Britain, filmed at a different studio in Central London, was not affected. Ed Balls and Susanna Reid stayed on air for an additional 30 minutes in the slot where Lorraine would usually have aired. Viewers took to social media, with Sue asking: "what has happened to the live show?" and Mary posting: "What's going on at #ThisMorning today? Why recordings been shown and not live?"
ITV has not confirmed when normal programming will resume.
