ITV has confirmed the return dates for two of its flagship daytime shows, Loose Women and Lorraine, after they were taken off air as part of major scheduling cuts announced last year. The broadcaster reduced the yearly output of its daytime programmes to 30 weeks, leading to a temporary hiatus for both shows since early March.
Loose Women will be the first to return, airing from Monday, 27 April. Christine Lampard will anchor the programme, joined by panellists Coleen Nolan, Jane Moore, and Nadia Sawalha. The show will occupy its usual 12:30pm slot, which has been filled by ITV News and game show repeats during the break.
Lorraine Kelly's eponymous chat show, now reduced to 30 minutes, will return a week later on 4 May. Kelly, who now hosts all five weekly episodes following the cuts, expressed gratitude for still being on air. 'I'm just glad that we're still there,' she told The Mirror. 'It's not my decision. I just feel lucky to still be doing what I love.'
The changes were implemented to save costs amid rising expenses, without losing on-air talent. ITV's Managing Director Kevin Lygo 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.'
