We like our routine, and our Wednesday routine involves watching Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid bickering on Good Morning Britain.
But not today.
Viewers were confused this morning when they switched on their TVs to see Ben Shephard covering Piers’ usual seat.
One tweeted: “As much as I love Ben, where is Piers? Doesn’t he do Wednesdays anymore?”
Another added: “Where is Piers this morning, thought I had slept really well & missed Wednesday out completely!!🤣🤣.”
A third wrote: “Send a search party out for @piersmorgan, it’s Wednesday and he’s not on #GMB should we report him missing, very unusual for Piers? Concerned viewer here.”
“Really missed u this morning”, tweeted another sad fan of the TV star.
The remaining presenters joked about his absence as the show began. Looking to Ben, Susanna, 47, commented: “Whoa, whoa, hang on hang on – it’s Wednesday?”
Ben – who usually hosts on Thursday and Friday – replied: “Am I not dreaming? Am I not still in bed?” as Susanna laughed, telling him: “I’m all discombobulated now.”
Ben explained: “I got a phone call saying they’ve had enough, he’s gone! He’s out.”
Susannah applauded, as he continued: “That’s it. [They told me] ‘Get back in the studio. We need a mid-week respite!'”
Richard Arnold joined in the joke, claiming it was actually him calling from a phone box.
Susanna explained the real reason controversial host Piers was missing, saying: “Piers couldn’t stop talking about the fact that he’s playing golf for the next couple of days.”
An outraged-looking Ben, 43, interjected: “Hold on, he’s playing golf?! I thought he had a proper job! If I’d known that, I absolutely wouldn’t have got up to come in! Is he really playing golf? Oh man!”
Richard, 48, added: “You might want to come in all week next week, I’ve got a Zumba tournament.”
Piers had actually explained his forthcoming absence on Twitter, telling fans he was watching a golf tournament in Scotland.
But it seems that wasn’t the whole truth, as he live-tweeted his way through the show on Wednesday morning, even replying to one viewer questioning his whereabouts, to say: “I’m lying in bed watching @GMB”.
And when he spotted the outrage of many viewers, Piers jokingly tweeted: “I can only apologise.”
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The regular presenters have a fun relationship with their journalist colleague, and last week, Susanna was left horrified when a guest jokingly suggested she marry Piers!
Criminal lawyer Jerry Hayes quipped the pair should marry after witnessing them arguing during the ad break.
Susanna was left mute with shock after the comment, which came in the middle of a debate about the ethics of shaming someone to make them lose weight.
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After witnessing Susanna and Piers bickering, news presenter Charlotte Hawkins chimed in, saying that the pair had been arguing about this during the break, and that Jerry had commented that he thought they only fought like that for TV.
“I know!” he said, before using a clichéd joke about marriage to comment on the pair’s relationship.
“You two should get married, no sex and lots of rows,” he said.
Susanna was left speechless with shock after the comment, as Piers quipped that he’d rather do things the other way round.
We’re not sure how we feel about a GMB-less Piers. It’s certainly a lot more relaxed…
Do you prefer GMB with or without Piers? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.