Who Is Likely To Replace Piers Morgan On Good Morning Britain?

Following Piers Morgan's sudden departure from Good Morning Britain, thoughts have turned to who might replace him on the show.

The 55-year-old presenter left the morning television programme in the wake of his comments about Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey, having stormed off the GMB set during a run-in with colleague Alex Beresford on yesterday's show (Tuesday 9 March).

One of the names in the running is, in fact, Beresford himself. The pair have come head to head a number of times, and 40-year-old Beresford pushed himself closer to the spotlight yesterday when he branded Morgan's behaviour 'diabolical'.

ITV

During their heated exchange, he said: "I understand you don't like Meghan Markle, you've made it so clear a number of times on this programme and I understand that you had a personal relationship with Meghan Markle and she cut you off.

"But she's entitled to cut you off if she wants to - has she said anything about you since she cut you off? I don't think she has, yet you continue to trash her."

Another potential contender would be Richard Madelely - a man who's been described as 'Alan Partridge-esque' in the past, but who's far from a stranger to morning TV.

Madeley and his wife Judy Finnigan were husband-and-wife co-hosts of This Morning for more than 20 years and he has had guest slots on GMB in the past.

He's also known for fanning the flames of controversy - much like Morgan - having referred to the coronavirus lockdown as 'pointless'. Could this make him a likely replacement?

ITV

While we're on the topic of ITV stalwarts, Ben Shephard could also be in the running for the co-host slot alongside Susanna Reid.

A long-time figurehead for the channel's morning output, Tipping Point presenter Shephard originally joined GMB's predecessor GMTV in 2000.

He was initially one of the main presenters upon GMB's launch in 2014, before Morgan started to take the lead on the show from 2015.

ITV

The 46-year-old already presents the show with Susanna on Thursdays, so he'd be well-prepared to take the reins.

Of course, if ITV is after another shouty, opinionated presenter, former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson could well be their man.

PA

Clarkson and Morgan had a famous public feud, which came to a head at the British Press Awards in 2004 courtesy of a punch from Jez.

Despite Morgan insisting that his 'three-year-old hits harder than that', he was left with a scar on his head.

But like grown-ups, they put their differences aside after a sesh in the pub in 2014 and have since even been on holiday together.

Adil Ray - who stars in TV show Citizen Khan - is also in the running, having appeared on GMB since 2018.

ITV

Adil once made his thoughts on Morgan clear in a segment on Have I Got News For You, saying: "The best thing about standing in for Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain is that you don't have to meet Piers Morgan."

Ouch.

Luke Tarr, head of PR at Star Sports, told The Sun: "Ben Shephard looks to be a strong candidate to replacement Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain at 3/1, with Adil Ray next in the betting at 7/1."

I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

Topics: TV and Film

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events. Soon realising you can't pay your bills with guestlist, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward