Daybreak beaten by BBC Breakfast

Viewers are switching over from ITV's Daybreak to boost BBC ratings

Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley on Daybreak
Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley on Daybreak
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Viewers are switching over from ITV's Daybreak to boost BBC ratings

It was launched amid much fanfare heralding a new dawn in breakfast TV, but ITV's new show Daybreak is already losing out to rivals BBC Breakfast.

Daybreak is hosted by former BBC presenters Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles who fronted The One Show. They moved to ITV for a rumoured £10m joint pay deal.

But the figures are not adding up today - Daybreak scored just over 1million viewers on its second outing, compared with BBC's 1.4million.

Although Daybreak's figures are an improvement on it's predecssor GMTV, with 660,000 viewers in its last week, fans of the old show are campaigning to bring it back.

After Daybreak launched on Monday, the Twit-osphere was swamped with angry comments, and the MCOnline comments section become a lengthy plea for ITV producers to re-install their favourite breakfast show.

Former GMTV presenter Eamonn Holmes has now waded into the row, saying he turned down the chance to present Daybreak and criticising Bleakley for her apparent rapid rise to fame.

'I was offered the role but turned it down. Yes, I guess it was a difficult decision but I don’t regret it. Why would I? I get to work with great people every day,' he told the Daily Star.

Holmes currently hosts Sunrise on Sky TV, another breakfast show. He has been friends with Bleakley for years, but has apparently said she's 'getting too big for her boots'.

'Oh yes, Miss Stratosphere. So pleased for her; let’s just hope she doesn’t forget about the little people as she continues to rise,' he says.

Are you watching Daybreak? What do you think of the new show? Has it made you switch to BBC Breakfast, or switch off altogether?! Tell us below!

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