This Morning

So, This Morning is 20 years old this year. As ITV1 has been reminding us constantly in recent weeks.

But what is there to celebrate? This Morning has been a haven for layabout students and moronic housewives for two decades now. We should be mourning its very existence rather than heralding it. It is a celebration of mediocrity. I hate it because, like watching Loose Women (also ITV1), reading Richard Littlejohn's newspaper columns or logging on to Facebook, watching This Morning is annoyingly addictive.

This daytime programme came into existence in October 1988, initially headed by Richard 'Alan Partridge' Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It adopted a kind of magazine format that followers of Nationwide or That's Life in the early 1980s will be familiar with: a bit of serious politics to begin with, then some showbiz news, a feature about erectile dysfunction, a cat that could rollerskate, some agony aunt advice that always ended with the coda 'you must remember that it's not your fault', a cookery section (a feature in any programme that immediately informs you that you really should be doing something better instead), all topped off by a song by Michael Bolton or Rick Astley. And there's the default bit about the 'credit crunch' thrown in somewhere for good measure.

Imagine the Fox News channel digested into a two-hour resumé, and then you've got This Morning. It's not quite as right-wing, I admit, but it conveys a similarly conservative message, interspersed with scare stories and mundane pieces of trivia. It's like breakfast television. Except it's shown in the middle of the day. In other words, This Morning has always been the televisual equivalent of the Daily Mail: trite, inconsequential, hysterical, full of psychobabble, and designed for bored women. Watching a DVD of the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy the other night, I couldn't but help think that Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone were dead ringers for Richard and Judy.

The strange paradox is that the presenters of This Morning have been quite endearing. Madeley was self-consciously ridiculous; Finnigan a lovable nervous wreck; Phillip Schofield is simply lovable; Eamonn Holmes is the archetypal cheeky chappy Irishman who could even make you like Manchester United; agony aunt Denise Robertson is grandmaternal; doctor Chris Steele avuncular; the rotund, buxom Fern Britton has a classic maternal appeal.

And as unfashionable as it is to say it, John Leslie was a good presenter, before his career was ruined by slander.

But why did they and do they talk such rubbish? I think it's because ITV is, in its essence, rubbish by nature. The BBC is today mostly rubbish because it is didactic; ITV is rubbish because it is populist, and always panders to the lowest common denominator. This Morning is the perfect exemplar of this tendency. Independent television thrives on worrying viewers and spreading fear. Again, consider Fox News: although I sympathise with its right-wing propaganda, Fox News is hysterical in the shameless manner in which it propagates it. Still, I admire its honesty, contrasted with CNN or the BBC's surreptitiousness.

So I think ITV should follow Fox's honest example. There have been lots of stories about ITV axing its regional news output in order to cut costs, and accusations about it 'dumbing down' in order to chase ratings. But when has ITV ever been clever? Sure, it had a period in the 1970s when it briefly tried to be high-brow, notably with World In Action and when News At Ten was actually respected, but otherwise it has always been slave to the advertisers. It might as well give up its eternally hopeless and deceitful pretence at being on a par with the BBC. Why not just be out with it and say: 'We're ITV and we're crap. And we're good at making crap.' This Morning has a populist appeal. It appeals to popular phobias and feeds into popular neuroses. And it does so through that most devious of means: by having nice presenters and generally being agreeable.

by Patrick West -- Patrick West is spiked's TV columnist.

It's become a staple of peoples mornings in the UK. Everyone from bored housewives, to students, to the unemployed - they all spend a happy time of it of a weekday with Holly and Phil.

And why not? It's a light, mildly entertaining show, that covers the ridiculous to the series in large brush strokes.

If you don't like a segment, don't worry, after a short ad break or the ever annoying Andi Peters doing a competition there will be another story shortly to follow.

It wins awards too, so people are clearly behind this ever green programme.

You know , when they that something has had its day ?

Well , this show should have have ended years ago , It amazes me that people still watch Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby , they are insufferable, that exaggerated laughter, just so childish! They think they are so funny and entertaining. Its just so immature most of the time. And when their not acting like children , their being so smug.

And I have to mention the time that he 'came out ' on live TV, with Holly Willoughby holding his hand , and the two of them crying !!!!!!!!!!!

I could not care less whether he is straight or gay , but that whole, bizarre announcement was simply embarrassing and cringy . I could not believe my eyes .

Apart from all the ridiculous topics they have to FILL the show , there is a a never ending competition running for what seems like forever, just a time filler.

I could go on and on , but really ITV , please just CALL IT A DAY .

Time to change the record.!

This appalling program has just got worse and worse, they have a prime slot and an opportunity to inform and entertain, what do the viewers get? More and more tabloid bilge, time to re-think it?

It's about time Phil n holly were out! Give younger presents a go!after Philips cocktails big headed ness in interviews and holly seems too snobby n stuck up! Vernon kay and josie are perfect more suited to the role even on Fridays instead of them two useless embarrassing no good at all time wasters! It's about time itv had a shake up on all its live shows!!