GMTV

GMTV proves that a news station can mix entertainment with serious news.

It starts off with the "News Hour", an hour of stories that are currently affecting the United Kingdom. It is presented by the superb John Stapleton and Penny Smith, and the newsreader during this hour is quite usually decent as well. The only problem with this hour is the phone-in competition. It just doesn't suit the type of programme, but apart from that, it's brilliant! Then we have "GMTV Today". Two and a half hours of news, showbiz and entertainment. It's usually presented by Fiona Phillips and Andrew Castle from Monday to Wednesday, then Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard on Thursday and Friday. It also has TV pundit Richard Arnold give his verdict on the evening's telly, although sometimes I don't agree with what he says.

Then we have LK Today from Monday to Thursday, presented by the lovely, sassy Lorraine Kelly. 50 minutes of fashion, showbiz and lifestyle features.

On Friday after GMTV Today, we have Entertainment Today, a show that provides you with the latest entertainment information, presented by Ben Shephard and the gorgeous Jenni Falconer.

So to summarise, this is what to watch in the mornings from Monday to Friday while getting ready for work or getting the kids ready for school. It is the real morning glory!

I'm not a huge fan of GMTV and I don't think it compares favourably to its BBC One rival Breakfast in terms of its presentation, coverage or guests. It is far more frivolous and tacky (it is even keeping alive the career of the appalling Keith Chegwin). However it is clearly a successful formula, evidenced by its longevity, and occasionally it does feature an interesting guest, with recent examples such as the actors Ian McShane and Tom Baker, interviews I am pleased to say that I managed to catch. I agree with a previous reviewer, though, that at over three hours every day (most of which I do not and would have no intention to suffer), a lot of it is rather trashy and it could be much better. It would benefit from more quality guests and fewer transient soap and pop stars. But of course, as we well know, the latter are cheap and would turn up to the opening of an envelope, so that's presumably why we see so much of them.

At the moment this show is a disgrace. Piers Morgan is ignorant, arrogant, rude, interrupts guests, very negative. Get him removed. Just look on Facebook to see the comments.

..and nobody sold trash like Greg Dyke. Long departed though he might be from the LWT building, Greg's shadow is still cast over this born again TV-am, as it's created in the same mould as his designs for that hapless ex-franchise holder were some 21 years ago.

The show is a mixture of interviews with tired old celebrities pushing their latest book or comeback, mixed in with hard luck stories from the less than glittering members of society. It's all strung together with the same colourful panache as a Sunday Tabloid newspaper.

Divided in to three segments, the first is the best and it's all downhill from there. Bizarrely the only two presenters with real talent, John 'Stapes' Stapleton and Penny Smith are condemned to the graveyard slot between six and seven. They handle the Newshour as it's called comfortably and without descending into the Tabloid Telly that tones the rest of the programme.

The main slot is given over to the smarm'n'silly brigade fronted by Eamonn Holmes who tries to bring a kind of Woganesque Irish charm to the proceedings. He's accompanied by Fiona Philips who seems unable to read more than half a sentence without looking to consult her notes. Finally there's the Lorraine Kelly slot, a 'Wimmins' mixture of fashion, food and frivolity without which the nation clearly couldn't function.

As I said at the start though, trash sells, and this programme's popularity has kept it high in the ratings while Channel Four's offerings have all slipped by the wayside, and the BBC have tried a few permutations without success. If you're looking for something that slips between this puerility and the corporations rigid, overproduced style, try 'Sunrise' the Sky TV offering. It has its faults, but gets the job done.