ITV has announced that Robert Peston's political interview programme will move from its Sunday morning slot to Wednesday evenings, following consistently low viewing figures. The show, previously known as 'Peston on Sunday', failed to compete with BBC's 'Andrew Marr Show', which attracted 1.5 million viewers compared to Peston's 170,000 on the same day.
The move marks ITV's retreat from the competitive Sunday morning political TV arena. The programme will be renamed 'Peston' and will air after 'News at Ten', inheriting a larger audience and directly competing with BBC2's 'Newsnight'. However, the later slot means it will miss most newspaper print deadlines.
Robert Peston expressed pride in the show's achievements and promised that the new format would retain its blend of interviews, digital interaction, and analysis, with new elements added. Co-presenter Allegra Stratton will not return due to family reasons.
BBC insiders viewed the decision as a victory, emphasising the importance of impartiality and tough questions in Sunday morning politics. ITV, however, noted that more viewers watched the Sunday evening repeat than the live broadcast, prompting the strategic change.
