Will the new personalities increase Loose Women’s ratings?

It was reported at the weekend that two favourites had been axed, but will replacing them increase the fortunes of the ITV 1 daytime show?

On Sunday it was announced that Kate Thornton and Zoe Tyler had been axed from Loose Women in a bid to rescue the show from falling ratings. Yesterday The Mirror reported that three women are in the lead to take the jobs on the award winning show.

Comedy actress Dawn French and Caroline Aherne along with ex- Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay are all said to be in the running, hoping that some star power will increase the ratings. Former Countdown host Carol Vorderman and the actress Caroline Quentin are also said to be in the running for roles the show.

“With a show like Loose Women, it’s important to keep refreshing the feel of the programme to keep viewers interested. Over the last few months there has been a bit of a downwards trend with ratings, and it’s important to address that issue as quickly as possible – we’re hoping some big new stars could excite viewers.” – An insider talking to The Mirror.

Loose Women first began in 1999, but its a far cry from how the show looks today. The content when it first began was less showbiz gossip and more real life stories. The first co-anchor of the show, Kaye Adams, managed to keep a level of journalism mixed with lighter moments. When ITV took control of producing the show in the mid naughties the programme content went down hill – many argued. Adams decided not to return to the show in 2007. In late 2000 – 2001, the show did re-brand to Live Talk, but ultimately reverted back to Loose Women and has continued to do so today.

The actress Nadia Sawalha was also co-anchor on the show when it first launched but left in 2002. Kerry Katona was also one of the Loose Women panellists in the show’s first days before she became the face of Iceland and various MTV/ITV2 reality television shows. Earlier this year Coleen Nolan quit Loose Women to concentrate on other work.

In recent years certain sections of the press have been full of stories about alleged disputes between various members of the panel. Loose Women has come in for lots of criticism over the years especially as the show moved away from serious issues onto more showbiz related topics. One criticism often levelled at the show is sexism against men.

In 2008 the American comedian Joan Rivers was removed from the panel during a commercial break after she accidentally swore live on-air. While Rivers made light of the incident there were questions asked over why the comedian wasn’t invited to take part in a pre-recorded edition of the show rather than a live episode given her reputation.