Will ITV’s loss be GB News or News UK TV’s gain?
I’ll preface this piece with a declaration of my general lack of interest in the shenanigans of the current British royal family, the House of Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Hanover, etc).
If drawn on the subject, my sole observation would be that there are probably a fair few surviving descendants of the original Brythonic (Celtic) petty kings and princes to provide a more authentic figurehead for the UK.
If required.
Some would say Piers Morgan’s departure was not before time, but his ratings boosting antics will probably score him another high-profile broadcasting gig, when the furore eventually dies down.
Unless he masochistically decides to stoke the flames still higher, which is always a possibility. Who will take on the bumptious bloviator?
Back in the days of Richard Desmond’s Channel 5, he could probably have found a safe harbour at the broadcaster, with a daily show and a choice of special projects.
But now? Unlikely.
It’s doubtful whether the BBC or Channel 4 would touch the increasingly toxic opinionator with a ten-foot barge pole. Although, given BBC DG Time Davie’s typically bone-headed comments about ‘virtue-signalling’ last year, you never know.
One wonders how many episodes of Morgan’s Life Stories ITV have in the can (sic) – which will presumably be left on the shelf for a while.
Unless dropped on ITV Hub/BritBox as exclusives. Or sold to a streamer.
So maybe one of the new centre-right leaning news channels would provide a home to the newly liberated rent-a-gob? Possibly…but the Marmite Morgan brand may overshadow any new offering and give channel management pause for thought if he effectively defines their image at launch.
As a short-term measure, Piers could decamp to the likes of talkRADIO for a limited contract, joining Mike Graham, Julia Hartley-Brewer, and the other merry members of the gonzo gang.
Maybe too much of a step-down for the pompous prognosticator, but never discount his thirst for publicity. There is always a possibility that Morgan could pull a Steve Bannon and worm his way back into the good graces of ex-pal, former President Trump.
A trip to Trump’s manky Mar-a-Lago to bend the knee could be just the ticket for Piers if Don ever launches his threatened media operation. God knows the pair deserve each other.
Despite the tepid reception Morgan was accorded when he stepped into the shoes of the late Larry King at CNN, his former and possibly re-booted guise as a Trump -luffer could stand him in good stead with #45’s loyal (but apparently dwindling) base. He would have to drop the gun control malarkey though.
Piers could well benefit from the notoriously short memories of Trump’s myrmidons, so that his ‘snowflake’ behaviour in flouncing off the GMB set in the manner of an affronted dowager duchess will soon be forgotten and re-written as a ‘Culture Wars’ act of defiance.
After all, the tangerine would-be tyrant managed to get away with saying he would join the mob on the stroll to the Capitol on the 6th of January, before hightailing back to the White House to enjoy the barney on live TV.
Although Morgan effectively ‘cancelled’ himself by walking out, within days he predictably painted an alternative reality and claimed to be the victim, prepared to die on the hill of free speech.
Sad to say, plenty of people appear more than happy to buy into Piers’ Home Counties Morton Downey Jr schtick.