[Brekkie]

Literally giving anyone a go before they close thos chapter then. I take it no promo campaign is running yet for Ben and Cat - you'd expect them to give it a big push although often nowadays they let new hosts settle in first then do a big campaign a few months in.

I assume if they're replacing Phil and Holly from the 11th March they'll be clocking off for Easter on the 14th.

[Johnr]

Paddy McGuiness seems to be hosting today so it'll probably be axed by Monday anyway

[RDJ]

Paddy McGuiness seems to be hosting today so it'll probably be axed by Monday anyway

Paddy’s hosted it before during the Summer over 10 years ago.
With Coleen Nolan and Andrea Catherwood. Two partnerships that never really worked at all.

youtu.be 

[XIII]

Paddy McGuiness seems to be hosting today so it'll probably be axed by Monday anyway

That's an unfunny statement that's clearly not true.

[all new phil]

That's an unfunny statement that's clearly not true.

I found it quite funny but ok.

[Ash101]

I thought Paddy was actually pretty good.

Never really rated him before, but thought he had good humour and the right sort of persona for This Morning. Shame he hasn’t covered more

[fanoftv]

Cat has appeared on Live with Kelly & Mark in America mainly promoting ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, but mentioned Cat joining This Morning, as seen here:
youtu.be 

[Brekkie]

I believe Cat has guest hosted that show in the past.

Guess we'll find out next week how it pans out and if she has chemistry with Ben. On paper it should work but the way Ben has spoken about her in an interview this week suggests he only knows her from the TV, rather than mixing in the same circles as Dermot did 25 years ago. That's not necessarily a bad thing - other than their brief Big Brother meetings Dermot and Alison didn't know each other before they were paired up and I doubt Craig and Josie did either.

[Flux]

I believe Cat has guest hosted that show in the past.

Guess we'll find out next week how it pans out and if she has chemistry with Ben. On paper it should work but the way Ben has spoken about her in an interview this week suggests he only knows her from the TV, rather than mixing in the same circles as Dermot did 25 years ago. That's not necessarily a bad thing - other than their brief Big Brother meetings Dermot and Alison didn't know each other before they were paired up and I doubt Craig and Josie did either.

I don't see what Ben/Cat being in the same circles 25 years ago would change. As you say, Dermot and Allison hardly knew each other before they were paired up and they've grown a successful enough little partnership. Looking over to the Big Breakfast, Johnny and Denise didn't know each other before they started hosting together but quickly became a partnership that's still fondly remembered to this day. Hell, Cat didn't even know Ant and Dec before SM:tv and look how that panned out.

If anything, I think it's good that Ben and Cat aren't bringing any history/in-jokes/cliquiness to proceedings. That was the absolute worst thing about the Schofield/Willoughby years and that bred the toxic atmosphere which only became publicly known after the fallout of the last year.

Personally I think we'll have a pretty good gage very early on Monday whether ITV/This Morning have learnt from past mistakes. If the opening titles are plastered with shots of Ben and Cat and it's branded "This Morning with Ben & Cat" on screen I fear they're just setting themselves up for failure.

[James2001]

I can't see them making that mistake again after how the Phil and Holly thing unravelled after they were so heavily tied into the show's branding.