Good Morning Britain stars Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway were visibly emotional as the iconic set for the ITV breakfast show was torn down in front of them. The dramatic scene unfolded on Thursday morning as the broadcaster began a major relocation of its daytime shows following deep budget cuts.
An Emotional Farewell at Television Centre
Presenters and crew gathered for an emotional final meeting at the Television Centre studios, which have been home to ITV Daytime since 2018. Susanna Reid and weather presenter Laura Tobin stood behind the famous GMB desk, looking overcome, while Kate Garraway was reportedly sitting on the studio floor as a colleague spoke. Staff raised glasses of bubbly in a toast to mark the end of an era, with many shedding tears as workmen removed Christmas decorations and packed the set into large recycling bins.
A source described the atmosphere as "devastating," telling The Sun it was a "terribly sad time" for a team that had worked together for years across shows like GMTV, Daybreak, and GMB. "Now the teams have been split up and relocated and it’s the end of an era," they said. "Many people who weren’t ready to leave yet are saying goodbye forever."
The Sweeping Changes to ITV's Daytime Schedule
The set demolition is part of a raft of changes announced by ITV boss Kevin Lygo last August, which came into effect on Monday. The restructuring, aimed at saving money, has resulted in 220 job losses and a completely new schedule.
Good Morning Britain will now be filmed at the ITN headquarters in Central London and will run for an extra half an hour. Meanwhile, Lorraine Kelly's morning chat show will be cut by 30 minutes. This Morning and Loose Women will continue, but Loose Women will now only air for 30 weeks of the year and will be filmed at The H Club in Covent Garden, along with other relocated daytime shows.
Stars React to the Upheaval
The changes have caused significant upheaval behind the scenes. Stars of Loose Women, who are paid on a per-episode basis, are particularly affected by the reduced schedule. However, some, like panellist Janet Street Porter, have taken a philosophical view.
"I’ve had to make cuts myself. I’ve been made redundant," she told the Mirror last November. "For those concerned it’s very traumatic and I empathise... But there’s another job out there and sometimes change, particularly early on in your career, can be for the better and give you resilience."
Despite the daytime exodus, Television Centre will not lie empty. It is set to host a new slate of programmes including Limitless Win, Strictly, the National Lottery draw, and Saturday Night Live UK.
In his initial announcement, Kevin Lygo stated the changes would allow ITV to "consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output." He emphasised the need for "accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever," even as the human cost of the transition played out on the studio floor.
