Latest news with #StephMcGovern
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This Morning viewers call for 'more' Steph McGovern after presenter's appearance on rival programme
This Morning viewers have called for 'more' Steph McGovern after the presenter made an appearance on her former rival programme. The 43-year-old got her break in the media world when she became a main producer for the Today programme's daily financial news on BBC Radio 4. Going on to produce BBC One's Six and Ten O'Clock news, Steph began appearing on camera in 2011 as BBC Breakfast's main business presenter. READ MORE: Coronation Street fans make demand as Platt family home transformation unveiled READ MORE: Coronation Street fans make 'weird' observation over Craig Tinker's heartbreaking memorial After hosting Pocket Money Pitch for CBBC, Shop Well for Less with Alex Jones, Made in Great Britain and BBC Watchdog, Steph announced she was leaving the BBC for Channel 4 in 2019. The show originally launched as The Steph Show in March 2020 and had to be broadcast from the presenter's house due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It returned later that summer under the new name of Steph's Packed Lunch. Broadcast from Leeds, the series featured showbiz interviews, cooking segments, news, and consumer advice. When it premiered, the series began airing at 12.30 pm, going head to head with ITV's panel show Loose Women. It later got an extra 30 minutes, moving its start time to during This Morning's final 30 minutes. Steph's Packed Lunch was cancelled by Channel 4 in 2023, with a spokesperson placing the decision down to 'audience habits changing quicker than ever'. They said at the time: 'We have to make difficult decisions about which programmes to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy and we have decided not to recommission Steph's Packed Lunch when its existing production contract ends in December 2023. Several months on from competing on Netflix reality show Celebrity Bear Hunt, Steph was on This Morning on Thursday (June 12). Despite previously going up against two of ITV's flagship programmes in the ratings war, Steph got on well with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard. Sitting alongside This Morning contributor Nick Ferrari, Steph discussed a number of the day's big news stories, including the Indian plane crash. Steph and Nick also discussed whether there is still a rivalry between the north and south, with Steph hailing from Tyne and Wear. Those watching This Morning at home took to X, previously known as Twitter, to have their say on Steph's appearance. @SabrinaSpectre said: 'Steph McGovern is such a brilliant broadcaster and we need her back on our screens more.' @philm2244 added: 'Bring back Steph's packed lunch.' @Boppity_Boo34 wrote: 'Like Steph I'm a proud northerner and there still is a north/south divide and also Yorkshire never gets a mention not even on the bloody weather lol #ThisMorning.' @Mate_of_Bob commented: 'I like the woman who was with @NickFerrariLBC. Who is she? Articulate, intelligent, funny and a Northerner!' @Mysteron_Voice posted: 'Ironic really that Steph McGovern's lunchtime show on Channel 4 was pitched directly *against* This Morning and Loose Women, and now here she is on This Morning.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Netflix was wrong to ditch Celebrity Bear Hunt – but Holly Willoughby's pointless role needed to be axed
HE'S the most famous survival expert in the world - but even Bear Grylls couldn't save his latest show from Netflix's killer blow. The big budget reality series that saw Bear, 50, partnered with glam assistant Holly Willoughby, 44, has been axed after just one series despite being a hit with fans. 6 6 Netflix is getting a nasty reputation for being trigger happy when it comes to prematurely culling shows after their debut run. Sometimes that brutal streak is justified; there's no shortage of utter tosh on streaming platforms, but in this case, they've made a massive mistake. I'm yet to hear from anyone who didn't enjoy watching Bear Hunt's crazy escapades from Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen casually taking a leak as Bear crept up on him to poor Steph McGovern smashing face first into a cliff during an adrenaline-fuelled challenge. It was popular with all ages; my son, seven, among those devastated by its untimely demise, but ultimately money talked and Netflix decided it wasn't getting enough bang for its buck. That's fair enough, no business wants to throw money away for fun, especially when Bear Hunt is said to have cost £10m to make, but from the outside looking in there are a number of ways to save a lot of cash while maintaining the brilliant concept. First up, Holly Willoughby. She was paid a reported £1m to effectively be nothing more than the series' eye-candy. Holly's star power was undeniable through the noughties as she became the undisputed queen of daytime TV and primetime evening entertainment shows. She also had naughty streak that saw her equally at home on the Celebrity Juice panel cracking crude jokes. To make her even more appealing, she'd already hosted the biggest survival show out there: I'm A Celebrity. She expertly stepped in when Ant McPartlin 's battle with alcohol forced him to take a break to focus on his wellbeing. Bear Grylls abseils into Celebrity Bear Hunt premiere Slipping into Ant's shoes and attempting to replicate his impeccable banter with best pal Declan Donnelly was a task tougher than most Bushtucker Trials, but Holly deserved a bag of gold stars as her ability in front of camera shone through. When it was announced she was swapping ITV for Netflix following a torrid time at the channel, there was a clamour to see how she'd make her mark on the platform. Would she bounce back from her bitter fall out with former co-star Phillip Schofield as well as the extended break she took following a terrifying kidnap plot with a career-defining new show, or would she fail to reach past heights? The answer was a resounding disappointment. With minimal screen time and no real purpose, she became a jungle Jane without any bite. That's not Holly's fault, she obviously worked to the direction she was given, but it felt like a step back for a woman who'd made her way to the top of the TV game in the UK. It did her a disservice and took away an opportunity from aspiring presenters who would leap at the chance to smile and look pretty in such a big show for a fraction of Holly's seven-figure payday. 6 6 There are no shortage of excuses show's bosses could have given to spare Holly's, and their own, blushes as she quietly stepped away. Scheduling clashes, family responsibilities, take your pick. Then there's the location. The Costa Rican jungle and coastline certainly looked exotic and created a feeling of great adventure. But the reality is it was totally unnecessary. The Bear Pit itself, the natural arena in which Bear hunted his celeb prey, could have been replicated in a British woodland. In fact, hosting on home soil would give the programme a gritty edge not too dissimilar from early series' of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins set in remote Scottish terrain, which would add to the sense of peril. Let's face it, flying 12 celebrities to the other side of the world, putting them up in a luxurious cabin and then insuring them for the privilege was always going to be a hell of a bill, not to mention the thousands they had to splash out to lure the big names in the first place. A source told us: 'Everyone involved with Bear Hunt is absolutely gutted - they loved the format, and it actually hit its targets from the streaming side." If that's the case, why not fight tooth an nail to save it? The hard work in creating a fresh new format and building a loyal audience has been done. Show talisman Bear's mantra is 'never give up', it's a shame Netflix didn't show the same fighting spirit. 6 6
