ITV's Loose Women has been taken off air for the remainder of the week, with comedian Lee Peart revealing the news during his debut as competition host on Tuesday's episode. Peart, who usually serves as the show's warm-up act, told viewers: "Lines close on Friday and I will say, this is actually the last Loose Women of the week, so get your entry in if you want to do that!" Anchor Christine Lampard later confirmed the absence was due to horse racing coverage.
The scheduling change is part of a broader cost-cutting initiative at ITV, which will see Loose Women and Lorraine reduced to 30 weeks of annual broadcasts. Kevin Lygo, ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment, stated: "Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love." He added that the changes would generate savings to reinvest in other genres and consolidate news operations.
During weeks when Lorraine is not on air, Good Morning Britain will extend to run from 6am to 10am. This Morning will maintain its 10am-12.30pm slot year-round, while Loose Women will occupy the 12.30-1.30pm slot for 30 weeks. The cuts also affect ITV's soaps, with Coronation Street and Emmerdale reportedly reducing cast members to save costs.
Lygo acknowledged the impact on staff, saying: "I recognise that our plans will have an impact on staff off screen in our Daytime production teams. We will work with ITV Studios and ITN as they manage these changes to produce the shows differently from next year." The changes are set to take effect from next year, as ITV approaches its eighth decade of daytime broadcasting.
