This Morning: Presenters say ‘we love making this show’ as Schofield row continues

ITV’s This Morning appears to have addressed controversial headlines about “toxicity” on the show, with hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary stressing they enjoy working on it.

“We all know we happen to be in the news at the moment… but the whole team here… we love making this show for all of you,” O’Leary said.

Hammond added they “are going to continue to do that”.

This appeared to reference ITV saying there were “no plans to axe it”.

Gyles Brandreth, who was in the studio to review the news stories of the day, said: “We are very happy to be here. Can I say that as well?”

He then continued with his theme, saying: “It’s actually a happy place to work. I enjoy coming in and have done since I began.

“We’re happy people in a happy place with some interesting stories.”

Columnist Sonia Sodha, sitting next to him on the sofa, agreed.

But stories about what happens behind the scenes on the show show no sign of going away.

The presenters’ comments come after Dr Ranj Singh, who worked on This Morning for a decade, criticised the “toxic” culture at the programme, saying the issues “go far beyond” ex-main presenter Phillip Schofield.

He quit ITV after admitting he had an affair with a younger male employee and lied to cover it up.

Dr Singh said he last worked on This Morning two years ago, having found himself being used “less and less” after raising concerns about how people were treated there.

Writing on Twitter, Dr Singh said he “did not know the truth about what was going on with Phillip”, but added: “It takes more than one person to create a culture.”

On Sunday evening, ITV responded saying it was sorry to read the post. It added that after a complaint from Dr Ranj there had been an external review which “found no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.

On Monday, Schofield posted on Instagram that there is “no toxicity” at This Morning and added that “it’s the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice”.

However Eamonn Holmes, another former presenter of the show and critic of Schofield, tweeted in response: “Schofield has just put out a delusional statement.

“Like Holly he puts it on Insta Stories so if it goes wrong there is no record after 24 hrs. I’m reluctant to give the liar any more publicity but believe me Pip if u r looking for a fight, u have picked on the wrong person!”

On Friday, Schofield confirmed he had a relationship with an employee while married and lied repeatedly to hide it, and said the relationship had been “unwise but not illegal”.

The broadcaster said it had investigated in 2020 but found no evidence of the affair beyond “rumour”.

Both Schofield and the junior colleague had at the time “categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours”, ITV added.

On Sunday, lawyers representing Schofield confirmed to the BBC that the pair had met when the younger colleague was a 15-year-old boy.

They stressed there was no sexual relationship of any nature between Schofield and the individual until after he had started working at This Morning.

He was 18 by the time he joined the programme.

The Mail on Sunday first reported the pair had met when the presenter was giving a talk at a theatre school which the 15-year-old attended.

Schofield later arranged an interview for him at ITV before he started there, and “some time afterwards” the affair began, the paper said.

ITV did not respond to the BBC when asked about a report in the Sunday People that some daytime staff were planning to go to HR next week to threaten a mass walkout over a series of “ignored complaints”.

Schofield announced on 20 May he was quitting This Morning after reports of a rift with co-star Holly Willoughby. Schofield has insisted his departure was unrelated to the affair.

Willoughby said on Saturday it was “very hurtful” to discover her former co-host had lied to her about his affair. “When reports of this relationship first surfaced, I asked Phil directly if this was true and was told it was not,” she said.

Willoughby is on an “extended half-term break” until 5 June.

On Sunday, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said ITV had questions to answer.

She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme there appeared to be an understanding that everything would move on following Schofield’s “grovelling apology”.

“It’s not the case, I’m afraid, because what it does is ask questions about what happened.

“We know there were complaints lodged with ITV over a long period of time – what happened to those complaints?”

She continued: “And how did that young boy get a job at ITV – what were the processes that were involved and what were the safeguarding processes that were in place for someone who was so young at that age?”

Responding to Ms Dorries’ reference to the employee as “young” an ITV spokesperson said: “We do not employ anyone under 18 for paid work on production at This Morning or indeed ITV.”