Deeley is This Morning’s great continuity candidate
As a child I struggled to tell the difference between Cat Deeley and Holly Willoughby, largely because they were both beautiful blonde children’s TV presenters and also because I had a short attention span. Undiagnosed ADHD notwithstanding, I think that confusion might reassure bosses at ITV who appointed Deeley as Willoughby’s successor to front the channel’s hero daytime content, This Morning.
You might not have noticed, but the This Morning team had a bit of a bumpy time of it last year when it transpired that Phillip Schofield had an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a fellow employee, and it was decided that he should spend more time with his family.
There was no suggestion Holly was in any way to blame for this, but the splashback from Phil’s secret romance didn’t do her any favours. Between that and the allegations that the pair skipped the queue to see the late Queen lying in state, it was probably inevitable that she too would say farewell to This Morning.
The problem with replacing daytime TV stars is that they become a sort of de facto member of the family. They’re on when you’re breastfeeding your baby or when you’re off sick. They’re the cheerful, amusing people you spend time with when you’re hungover. Their brand of television might be extra virgin vanilla, but it’s nice. And honestly, there’s a place for that.
In order to watch someone day in and day out, you need them to be a bit neutral. Nice and sweet, yes, but not challenging. Ultimately, the strength of a TV presenter is based on how likeable they are, and anyone with a really punchy personality is going to become an irritant if you spent enough time around them.
There was lots of speculation about who might take over; regulars Josie Gibson or Alison Hammond were tipped to take the job. But instead of either of them, they went for a natural understudy, someone who looks like Holly Willoughby if you squint quite a lot, a slightly different beautiful blonde woman.
And you know what? I’m delighted. It’s not a brave or a quirky choice. There’s nothing surprising or controversial and it’s not striking any blows for a more modern
This Morning. But Cat Deeley is a cheerful, warm, delicious brand of vanilla. She’s ice cream, frappuccino, milk-and-cookies lovely.
Maybe in private there’s more to it than that, and she’s got a filthy sense of humour or an eviscerating wit. But if that is the case she’s very smart to have kept it to herself. We want our daytime TV presenters like we want our royals: smiling, glamorous and just a bit distant.
Could it have been fun to see someone more overtly funny (Hammond) or quirky (Gibson) in the chair? Sure. But we’ll have them during the school holidays, which all morning TV presenters seem to take off. And for the moment this is the kind of safe, reliable continuity candidate we need. I tuned in out of curiosity and it felt like the same show I’ve watched (mostly accidentally) for years. Which is exactly what I wanted.
For the show we rely on to give us a few laughs, some very basic information and some absolutely mental debates, I honestly can’t think of a better choice than hiring an unchallenging woman with an easy laugh and an amazing head of hair. Sweet, kind, easy-going and no known skeletons in her closet despite three decades in journalism.
And, if you’re really searching for some more socially conscious good news, it’s the first example I can find of a woman in TV, a famously ageist industry, being replaced by an older woman. Good on you, Cat.
It’s not a brave choice but Deeley is a cheerful,warm brand of vanilla