ITV are celebrating their seventieth birthday this 12 months at a time when the corporate is making big cuts throughout the board, withsome workers already made redundant and others fearing for his or her jobs. You’d by no means have realised this on Monday September 8 because the broadcaster’s nice and good donned their finery to dazzle at a lavish occasion to mark the event. A seventieth birthday is a milestone that often deserves to be acknowledged, nevertheless there’s a time and a spot. It appears extraordinarily insensitive to lay our a fortune on an occasion like this when folks’s livelihoods are being ripped away as administration retain their excessive paying roles.
I respect the celebration finances was in all probability a separate fund to the manufacturing finances, which has suffered such heavy losses that reveals are having their runtimes reduce or being cancelled fully. However simply because the cash was there it does not imply having the celebration was applicable. ITV commentators are the primary to comment when the federal government or a excessive profile identify does one thing deemed “unhealthy optics”. But they appear oblivious to the idea themselves.
Stars on the purple carpet at their soiree, which little question featured flowing drinks and a lavish menu, included This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard; the Good Morning Britain crew together with lengthy standing host Susanna Reid, a slew of cleaning soap stars and a smattering of Free Girls. All beamed broadly regardless of the actual fact the broadcaster’s daytime and cleaning soap output are being most closely affected by the cuts.
ITV bosses introduced cuts to Emmerdale and Coronation Avenue again in February. From January 2026, daytime may even look very totally different as Lorraine will lose its long-standing hour lengthy slot.
The programme, which is fronted by Lorraine Kelly, will now air from 9.30am to 10am. Its airtime has been slashed in half, and the speak present may even solely broadcast 30 weeks of the 12 months. Free Girls can be having it is airtime reduce to 30 weeks a 12 months – simply over half of its present output.
Ryan Thomas was amongst these on the celebration beaming broadly regardless of the axe of his gameshow 99 To Beat. Some excessive profile names have spoken out about their fears for the way forward for their jobs and axings and firings have been reported on as they occur.
What is not being readily acknowledged is behind all the massive stars on the axed reveals is a complete crew and different crew members who are actually in search of new work as a way to hold a roof over their heads and feed their households
These being made redundant are shedding common incomes and pensions and there’s no assure they may discover new jobs and even be capable to keep within the trade they love. Their lives are in disarray and watching ITV patting itself on the again as they partied can solely have made the tablet an much more bitter one to swallow.
ITV actually ought to have thought twice concerning the celebration and been extra delicate to these caught up within the mess made by the powers that be.
Categorical.co.uk has contacted ITV for remark.
