BBC set ‘to launch rival show to This Morning and spark ratings war’

There could be trouble ahead for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield as the BBC are said to be launching a direct rival to ITV’s This Morning.

According to reports, a ratings war is imminent with the Beeb planning to take on ITV with a similar show that will air in the morning.

It is believed the BBC are hoping to line up Strictly Come Dancing star Stacey Dooley and occasional This Morning host Rylan Clark to helm the new show.

While a 9:15am star time will make the show – which bosses are also said to be loosely basing on The One Show – clash with ITV’s popular morning line-up.

The Mail on Sunday claim the BBC are looking to capitalise on BBC Breakfast’s ratings success over ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

While GMB might draw more headlines thanks to the controversial opinions of Piers Morgan, the show itself fails to come anywhere close to BBC Breakfast in terms of viewership.

The new BBC series is expected to replace Homes Under the Hammer and Island Medics – and apparently also hopes to take a bite out of Lorraine’s viewership.

A source told the Mail On Sunday: “BBC Breakfast beats Good Morning Britain every day and The One Show is one of the channel’s most loved and popular programmes, so the concept is based on that.

“The thinking is that if they can put a daytime version of the show on straight after BBC Breakfast, they’ll keep some of those viewers, and will follow the same formula as The One Show but with segments tailored to a new daytime audience.

TV hosts Gethin Jones, Ore Oduba, Angellica Bell and former Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh are also said to be in the running to land presenting slots on the forthcoming show.

Meanwhile, Head of BBC Daytime & Early Peak, Carla-Maria Lawson, seems to have confirmed plans are steamrolling ahead.

She is quoted as saying: ‘Following the success of shows such as HealthCheck UK Live, Daily Kitchen Live and Your Money and Your Life with a mix of good company and expert advice reflecting their concerns, we’re excited to be bringing a new daily, topical live programme to BBC1 at 9.15.”

She added that more details of the show will be coming “soon.”