ITV are reportedly looking to hire a black presenter for This Morning, after bosses revealed a new plan to make the channel more diverse by using more black, Asian and ethnics minority stars.
This would be the first time in the 32 years that the show has been on our screens.
ITV bosses held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the new appointment and unveil a “diversity acceleration plan”, a source revealed to the Daily Star.
(Image: ITV)
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The aim of the new plan is that the TV channel will be able to “better represent contemporary British life on screen,” and this will happen by “increasing the diversity of presenters of ITV’s highest-profile programmes”.
This news follows The Mail on Sunday’s revelation last month that This Morning boss Martin Frizzell was seeking to include a black presenter.
Speaking in a Zoom meeting Martin told staff: “There is not a black presenter on any of the programmes today. We plan to change that, we [This Morning] are looking into it.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The boss also admitted that finding a suitable candidate “wouldn’t be easy”, but there is no evidence that either Holly Willoughby or Phillip Schofield are leaving the show after 11 years together.
An ITV source told Mail Online that: “It’s a tough one for Martin. He appeared to really mean what he said so it will be difficult to simply give the presenter the once-a-week Friday slot because he would leave himself open to claims of tokenism.”
(Image: Instagram)
Additionally, a showbiz insider explained: “Kudos to Frizell for being the first ITV boss to pledge to make this happen. What we are all wondering now is, ‘Will anyone go and, if so, who?’ ITV has faced accusations that its daytime roster is ‘too white’.”
Although Alison Hammond, Rochelle and Marvin Humes all act as guest presenters on the show it seems that This Morning are looking for someone to fill the role full time.
Next week Holly and Phil will be leaving the show for two months for a holiday, and are being covered as usual by Ruth and Eamonn Holmes.
But who knows when or who a diversity shake up will bring to our screens…