ITV's This Morning witnessed a painfully awkward live television moment on Friday, as presenter Jeff Brazier struggled to convey life-changing news to a seemingly bewildered competition winner.
The £200,000 Phone Call That Fell Flat
Brazier, 46, was tasked with making the coveted call to announce the winner of the show's Jingle Jackpot competition, who had scooped a massive £200,000 in tax-free cash. Picking up the iconic red telephone, Brazier enthusiastically greeted the winner, later identified as David. "Hello? Hello, is there anybody there? It's Jeff Brazier from ITV. Did you enter the competition last week to win £200,000?" he asked.
After a short silence, David tentatively replied, "I think so..." When Jeff confirmed his name and delivered the monumental news, the response was not the expected eruption of joy. Instead, there was no audible reaction at all. Jeff, now waving at the camera, asked David if his television was on, to which David said he couldn't see him.
Hosts Scramble to Reassure Suspicious Winner
Co-host Dermot O'Leary urged David to change the channel to ITV, but more silence followed. When Jeff asked how it felt to win the six-figure sum, David simply said, "Yes." Sensing the winner's clear disbelief, Alison Hammond interjected to insist, "This is not a scam." Jeff echoed her, stating, "I do understand it might take a little while for this to sink in. My colleagues will take the call from me and reassure you that you are the winner." The call was then ended.
Alison later predicted the reality would "hit" David within minutes, but viewers at home were already flooding social media with their reactions to the bizarre exchange.
Viewer Reaction and a History of Hesitant Winners
On social media platform X, one viewer wrote, "@thismorning please can you ring me so I can be elated at winning a competition! Very strange how you don’t know whether you even entered." Another questioned, "#ThisMorning why do these winners never know if they have entered a comp to win a huge amount of money." Others described the moment simply as "awkward" and told David to "wake up."
This incident is not the first time Jeff Brazier has encountered a less-than-ecstatic winner. In the run-up to Christmas, he called a woman to inform her she had won £80,000. She was instantly suspicious, denied entering, and refused to turn her TV on, forcing the ITV team to follow up later to convince her the prize was genuine.
Jeff later explained on Lorraine that the winner, Sheila, had been "a little bit shy, a little bit nervous" but was eventually convinced, joining the "ITV exclusive winners' club."
