ITV's flagship daytime show This Morning was hit by an awkward live blunder as presenter Jeff Brazier was left in silence during a crucial segment. The 46-year-old, who was broadcasting details of a £90,000 competition, faltered when a pre-recorded voiceover failed to play, leaving viewers watching an eight-second stretch of dead air.
The On-Air Mishap Unfolds
The incident occurred as Brazier, recently returned from filming the competition promo in Gran Canaria, prepared to read out the entry phone number, cost, and terms. With the expected voiceover absent, the studio fell silent. Off-mic, Brazier was heard asking 'Read the slate' and 'What am I reading?', mistakenly believing the audience could no longer hear him. He then began attempting to read co-host Alison Hammond's lines for the next interview.
Behind the scenes, crew members scrambled to direct him, but it was main host Alison Hammond who swiftly stepped in to salvage the segment. She read the competition details from the autocue while fellow presenter Dermot O'Leary relayed the phone number to viewers.
Studio Banter and Viewer Backlash
Following the recovery, Dermot joked 'That was very good,' to which Alison quipped, 'Thanks very much, I went back into my competition days.' She later added, 'Thank you, Jeff, you diamond - he hadn't got a clue what happened there, did he? Neither did I, I just went into this robot.'
Viewers, however, were less forgiving. On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, many criticised the moment as 'unprofessional'. One user wrote, 'F**king hell, how professional,' while another stated bluntly, 'One job, Jeff, one job.' Others mocked the silence, with one commenting, 'The silence was the best part of the show.'
Amidst a Backdrop of ITV Changes
This blunder comes shortly after co-host Cat Deeley jokingly labelled Brazier 'offensive' for 'swanning around' on sunny location shoots while the main presenters worked in the UK. It also occurs against a backdrop of significant change for ITV's daytime output.
The show has recently moved to a new studio at The H Club in London's Covent Garden, part of wider schedule cuts that have seen Lorraine shortened and Loose Women reduced to 30 weeks a year. The new This Morning set, featuring a relocated blue sofa and kitchen area, has itself faced a backlash from fans who called it 'cheap', 'tacky', and compared it to shopping channel QVC.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
