This Morning and Lorraine are pulled off air at the last minute as power outage at ITV studio causes scheduling chaos

ITV descended into chaos on Wednesday morning due to a power outage that pulled  Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women off air.

Viewers tuning into the morning television schedule will be disappointed after a shake-up meant the programmes have been replaced.

A statement shared online by ITV said: 'Following a power cut overnight in the wider area where our Covent Garden studio is based, we are unable to broadcast Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women live today. We will return to our normal schedule as soon as possible.' 

Hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls announced on Good Morning Britain that Lorraine would be taken off air due to a power cut at ITV's Covent Garden studio.

The presenters said that their show would be extended by half an hour to cover Lorraine Kelly's usual slot, from 9.30am to 10am.

Presenter Lorraine, 66, took to Instagram on her way into the studio to tell fans that her show would not be airing today following a 'little bit of a hoo-ha'.

She said: 'Hello there, I'm on my way to work but there's been a little bit of a hoo-ha, there's a power outage at the studio, so my show won't be on today. 

'But you can still watch GMB and they're going to fix it round about 11 o'clock-ish so This Morning will still be on as well, but just maybe a little bit later.'

Continuing, Lorraine said: 'So it's a bit of a shame, I was really looking forward to talking to Sharleen Spiteri from Texas but we shall reschedule and it'll all be fine and I will see you tomorrow. Okay, bye!'

She captioned the post: 'These things happen. Can't be helped. See you tomorrow.'

GMB remained on air until 10am, before This Morning's best bits were played. 

'We'd normally be finding out from This Morning about their show, but unfortunately there's no show,' Ed said. 

Reacting to the shake-up on the channel, viewers shared their thoughts on X, saying: 'ITV are having a mare This Morning'; 'ITV all over the place today - no Lorraine cutting Good Morning Britain off';

'ITV off air at the moment all sorts going on'; 'So Lorraine is off air because of a power cut. GMB hosts said they'd be extending til 10am but now it seems ITV is completely off air';

'Ohhh, no This Morning today. Power cut in the Lorraine, Loose Women studios #GMB'; 'Due to a power outage at the studios, ITV is unable to broadcast Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women today.'

Although This Morning was initially expected to be delayed, it has now been replaced by a selection of memorable moments from previous episodes. Loose Women will also be absent from the schedule.

Good Morning Britain also experienced technical difficulties when the programme went to an advertising break, with viewers seeing the ITV logo across the screen instead of the usual commercials.

Presenter Susanna Reid apologised to viewers affected by the disruption, saying: 'We do have to say sorry to some of our viewers who have been affected by technical issues during our ad break. Frankly, who knows what might happen between now and 10! It's a kind of rollercoaster, isn't it?'

In a separate incident, Susanna was speaking live when the programme unexpectedly cut to an advertising break. 

When the broadcast returned, This Morning was showing highlights from previous episodes. Presenters Cat and Ben were seen in the studio, alongside an on-screen notice confirming that the programme was pre-recorded.

The scheduling changes come after ITV announced a series of adjustments to its daytime programming earlier this year. 

Lorraine's programme is being reduced from one hour to 30 minutes and, from 2026, will air for just 30 weeks of the year. Loose Women will also broadcast for only 30 weeks annually.

During weeks when Lorraine is not on air, Good Morning Britain will be extended by an additional 30 minutes, running from 6am until 10am