Susanna Reid: I'm not out to 'beat the BBC' with Good Morning Britain
The presenter of ITV's morning show says that unlike co-host Piers Morgan she is not interested in "going into battle" with BBC Breakfast over ratings
Piers Morgan's Twitter war with BBC Breakfast's Dan Walker has become a running joke in the battle of the breakfast shows, but Morgan's Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid says she is not interested in getting into a ratings spat with the BBC.
Presenter Reid, who moved from the BBC to ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2014, tells Radio Times that unlike Morgan she is "not looking at beating the BBC".
Explaining how Piers Morgan "relishes" the conflict between the breakfast TV rivals, Reid says she would prefer to avoid the competition.
"I'm quite nervous about conflict, I don't like it. He loves it, he relishes it. He's actually very good friends with Dan Walker, which I think a lot of people don't realise – because you see, for Piers, conflict is never personal."
Reid adds, "But I'm not looking at beating the BBC. There are people who want its presenting style in the morning. There's something very reassuring, and very likeable about it; no one's ever going to be offended by Dan and Louise [Minchin, his co-presenter]. I know them personally, and they're blinking lovely. You couldn't describe Piers as lovable. And I don't think everybody necessarily wants a double espresso shot into their veins in the morning. Some people want a nice cup of tea. And there is absolutely a role for both."
BBC Breakfast typically pulls in around 1.5 million viewers, around double those of ITV's Good Morning Britain. However, the ITV show has seen ratings climb under Reid and Morgan's tenure – something Morgan is always quick to pounce on.
Reid however says she is not interested in comparing the two shows' ratings: "A huge number of people enjoy what we've got to offer, so I don't feel like I'm going into battle with the BBC every morning."
Reid and Morgan will present a special evening version of Good Morning Britain – called, appropriately, Good Evening Britain – on Thursday 28th June, right after England's final group game against Belgium in the 2018 World Cup.
Read the full interview with Susanna Reid in this week's Radio Times, available from Tuesday 19th June 2018
