Britain’s most watched live magazine daytime show, Morning Live, produced by BBC Studios, will be back on audiences screens even earlier in the New Year as it returns with a longer running time and a new presenter line up.

From January 2nd 2024, Helen Skelton and Michelle Ackerley will become permanent presenters on the show, alternating alongside Gethin Jones every Monday to Wednesday. Gethin will continue to present four to five shows a week. Kym Marsh will present on Thursdays, and a host of brilliant guest presenters including Sara Cox, Kimberley Walsh, Gaby Roslin and Rav Wilding will continue to co-host regularly too.

The show will also bring even more to BBC One audiences as it extends its daily running time from 45 minutes to 75 minutes, running from 9:30 to 10:45 every weekday. It will continue to feature its unrivalled team of experts who bring together a wealth of experience from across some of BBC’s most trusted shows, all under one roof.

Helen Skelton says: “I am so excited to become a more regular member of the Morning Live family, and be in such good company! It’s really nice to be part of a programme giving so many people a voice. Everything we talk about on the show is what my friends and family are texting me about, we’re right at the heart of what matters to people right now. We’re not just highlighting problems though, we’re finding solutions and I love that we’re able to help in some small way. It’s stuff you need to know but also stuff that’s nice to know, and even when I’m not hosting, I’m sat at home with a cuppa taking it all in. I can’t wait for January!”

Michelle Ackerley says: “I am delighted to join Helen as part of the regular Morning Live line-up. I have absolutely loved being a part of the show so far, which we know can make a real difference to people’s lives. I’m looking forward to keeping our audiences company in the mornings and doing that alongside friends. I’ve known Geth and Helen for a long time now and believe or not, Helen and I used to flat share back in the day! To do this all in my home town of Manchester is a dream!”

Gethin Jones says: “I absolutely love working with Helen and Michelle and I’m thrilled they’re going to be a more regular part of the fantastic team at Morning Live. We have all been friends for years, so I know there are going to be plenty of laughs in store for our audiences to see, especially now we will be on your screen for longer, too!”

Emma Morris, Morning Live Executive Editor, BBC Studios says: “Helen and Michelle have been a huge hit with audiences as guest co-hosts since September and are both a joy to work with, so we are thrilled they will now become a permanent part of the team, alongside Gethin. They both bring a wealth of live presenting experience with them and continue our Morning Live trend for northern, female, power houses!

We are so excited to be bringing audiences an additional 30 minutes of topical, relevant and entertaining content each day, too. With a cost of living crisis, a scam epidemic and so much fake news and misinformation shared online, Morning Live has become the go to place for impartial advice audiences can trust.”

Rob Unsworth, BBC Head of Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning says: “Morning Live was a hit from the start, but we’ve listened to all those viewers who’ve asked us if it could be longer, and are delighted and excited to add an extra half hour to its winning mix of warmth, topicality, and must-know tips, hacks and advice.”

Morning Live, which has just won Best Factual Series at the Royal Television Society North West awards was created during the pandemic as a one stop shop for trusted consumer, money and health advice. The show draws up to 1.4m viewers a day, with an average of 1.2 million. As well as bringing lots of warmth and companionship to its loyal audience, factual journalism also sits at the heart of every show and this year the team has held huge companies to account.

2023 saw the show exclusively challenge leading fast food restaurants on accuracy of calories labelled on their menus. Another investigation led to one supermarket recalling a product line after it was shown to be selling identical products in different packaging – at different prices. It also highlighted how violent gang crime was in operation on a popular online shopping site. It fought on behalf of a viewer to get over £84k back in their pocket when their bank was holding on to their cash and its recent Scam Week was a massive success with over 40,000 stickers given out to viewers with powerful messaging on to prevent them being scammed.

Morning Live is a BBC Studios Factual Entertainment production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The Executive Editor for BBC Studios is Emma Morris and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Rachel Platt.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.