Loose Women

For the film, see Loose Women (film).
Loose Women

Current logo of Loose Women from September 2011.
Format Talk Show
Presented by Andrea McLean
Carol Vorderman
Starring Denise Welch
Carol McGiffin
Sherrie Hewson
Jenny Eclair
Lynda Bellingham
Jane McDonald
Lisa Maxwell
Janet Street-Porter
Sally Lindsay
(See full list)
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 16[1]
Production
Executive producer(s) Sharon Powers
Producer(s) Richard Stowe
Andy Tippins
Natasha Neeson
Editor(s) Emily Humphries
Location(s) The London Studios
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) ITV Studios (2005–)
Granada Television (1999–2002)
Anglia Television (2002–05)
Broadcast
Original channel ITV (ITV1/STV/UTV)
(also ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD)
Original run 6 September 1999[1] – present
External links
Website

Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip. Each series typically airs from the beginning of September of one year to the start of August of the next, taking a break over Christmas.[2][3]

Due to a recent decline in ratings between January 2011 and June 2011, changes had been made to the show.[4] Changes included a new lineup which saw the dismissal of anchor Kate Thornton and panellist Zoe Tyler[5][6] alongside the departure of panellist Coleen Nolan.[7] Thornton and Tyler have been replaced by Carol Vorderman and Sally Lindsay, who started September 2011.

Contents

Panel

The panel comprises four women from various professions in the entertainment and journalism industries, including actresses, singers, authors, presenters, journalists and reporters. Although all four women are classed as presenters in the credits, one acts as the main anchor, linking to breaks and competitions and addressing the television audience. Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha were the original presenters, Sawalha left in 2002, after the birth of her first child and Adams held on to the role for the first ten series until the end of 2006, when she left to go on maternity leave. Adams was expected to return for a new series, but in August 2007 she confirmed in her newspaper column that after 7 years, she decided that she wanted to move on to other projects and would not be returning.[8]

From 2007 to 2009, the anchor job was mainly shared by Jackie Brambles and Andrea McLean who each presented for half of each week, as well as covering for one another's leave. Following Brambles' departure in August 2009,[9] Kate Thornton took over from her during the following month and continued to present the show in rotation with McLean until August 2011.

Following a relaunch in September 2011, the role of anchor is shared between McLean and new anchor Carol Vorderman who replaces Thornton. As from September 2011 McLean hosts the show on Monday and Wednesday and Vorderman on Tuesday and Thursday and they share alternate Friday shows. When one of the anchors is unable to host the show, usually the other anchor will cover.

The panellists also rotate throughout the week, with three of them appearing on each show. Lisa Maxwell usually sits next to the anchor, whilst Carol McGiffin is usually found in the next seat along. If these panellists do not appear their seats are usually filled by Sally Lindsay and Janet Street Porter respectively. Either Sherrie Hewson, Lynda Bellingham or Jenny Eclair are usually found in the chair furthest away from the anchor, whilst Denise Welch moves around to accommodate the other panellists. On 14 December 2011 Jane McDonald announced live on air via telephone that she would be returning to the show in 2012.

Current panel

The current Loose Women panel from 5 September 2011 is:[10]

Anchors

Regular Panellists

Former panel

Related programming

Loose @ 5.30 aired at 5.30pm on ITV for two weeks from 29 May 2006. This teatime spin-off of Loose Women was a slight twist on the original format; the panel was composed of both men and women for the first time. Kaye Adams and Ted Robbins anchored each show with two more panellists, usually another male and female, who included Sherrie Hewson, Jane McDonald, Carol McGiffin, Coleen Nolan and Denise Welch from the Loose Women team and former Loose Women guests Jason Gardiner and Jeff Brazier.[13]

Live Talk was a re-branding of Loose Women. The programme lasted 2 series; the first in 2000 and the second in 2001. Many of the former Loose Women team, came to the show including Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, Pattie Coldwell, Karren Brady, Coleen Nolan and Julie Hesmondhalgh. For this new programme, many new panellists contributed including Carol McGiffin, Jenny Powell, Jenni Trent Hughes, Kathryn Apanowicz, Emily Symons, Anne Diamond, Denise Black, Kim Hughes, Sally Gunnell, Julie Peasgood, Lauren Booth, Jenni Murray, Lorraine Kelly, Tracy Shaw, Denise Welch, Heather Mills, Kate Garraway and Sheila Hancock.[14]

On 19 November 2010, as part of Children in Need 2010, McLean, Zoe Tyler, McGiffin, Hewson and Welch performed Girls Aloud's song The Promise as Nanas Aloud.[15]

International variations

Criticism and controversy

  1. On 6 June 2008, the programme was criticised by British newspaper The Guardian as offensive and hateful to both men and women, for being sexist, and a case of feminism gone too far due to the concept of having a politically incorrect representation of an all-female cast of panellists, as well as the lecherous and patronising behaviour of the panellists.[17][18]
  2. On 17 June 2008, comedienne Joan Rivers was a guest on the show and made an error by not realising that the show was completely live and not recorded.[19][20] She said "get ready to bleep this" before calling film star Russell Crowe a "fucking shit", which subsequently went live to the public on ITV at approximately 1pm in the afternoon. Anchor Jackie Brambles immediately apologised for Rivers' outburst as the audience laughed hysterically, and during the commercial break Rivers was asked to leave the set and not invited to come back for her final segment. A spokesperson for the show said, "Guests are always briefed that it is a live daytime show and are reminded not to swear or use inappropriate language. An editorial decision was taken that Joan Rivers should not appear in the final part of the programme. We would like to apologise to Loose Women viewers for the inappropriate language used on today's show." Rivers, for her part, finds it all quite funny. "I said: 'I apologise.' Everyone apologised. It was hilariously funny," she says. Joan adds that this was the first time she had been removed from a TV show in 40 years and she was "thrilled".[21]
  3. After winning the 2010 National Television Award for "Most Popular Factual Programme", Jan Moir from the Daily Mail wrote an article entitled "How was Loose Women voted best factual TV show when it is fronted by a gaggle of sexual incontinents?". The article goes on to discuss how it shows a feminist viewpoint as well as its sexual content, for example, "'I don't like a sucking noise,' said Sherrie, an observation that raised a geyser of sniggers from the smutbuckets who surrounded her. In Loose Women world, no entendre is ever left undoubled." It also took a grudge against the quality of guests compared to the similar version of the show in the United States[22]
  4. On a podcast with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, An Idiot Abroad star Karl Pilkington said he did not want viewers of shows like Loose Women to watch his show. He went on to describe the programme as "flumpf telly" which "you don't have to think about".[23]

Merchandise

In late 2008, ITV released Let Loose: The Very Best Of Loose Women, a DVD featuring highlights of Series 12 and 13. The DVD is introduced by Jackie Brambles and Coleen Nolan, with Jane McDonald and Carol McGiffin giving an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the set at The London Studios.[24] A second DVD was released in November 2009, entitled Late Night with the Loose Women. The extended programme features Andrea McLean, Sherrie Hewson, Carol McGiffin and Jane McDonald discussing raunchier topics than the television timeslot permits, and includes appearances by guests Will Mellor, Rustie Lee and Christopher Biggins.[25] A 2010 DVD release saw Carol McGiffin, Sherrie Hewson, Lisa Maxwell and Denise Welch visit New York, titled Loose Women in New York: Let Loose in the City. The DVD was released on 8 November 2010.[26]

A range of books have also been published under the brand which has expanded further with an online shop selling make-up products, champagne, personalised cups and stationery.[27]

Awards

Date Ceremony Award Status
3 September 2007 TV Quick and TV Choice Awards Best Daytime Show Won[28]
19 March 2008 Royal Television Society Best Daytime Programme Nominated[29]
25 June 2008 TV Quick and TV Choice Awards Best Daytime Programme Won[30]
10 March 2009 Television and Radio Industries Club TV Daytime Programme award Won[31]
7 September 2009 TV Quick and TV Choice Awards Best Daytime Programme Won[30]
28 November 2009 TV Times Awards Favourite Programme Won[32]
20 January 2010 National Television Awards Most Popular Factual Programme Won[33]
6 September 2010 TV Choice Awards Best Daytime Programme Won[34]
26 January 2011 National Television Awards Topical Magazine Programme Nominated[35]

References

  1. ^ a b Loose Women, TV.com, 20 July 2011
  2. ^ Loose Women Series 13, tv.com, 20 July 2011
  3. ^ Loose Women Series 14, tv.com, 20 July 2011
  4. ^ Loose Women in ratings disaster The Sun, 20 July 2011
  5. ^ Kate Thornton sacked from Loose Women, New Magazine, 11 July 2011
  6. ^ Kate Thornton, Zoe Tyler axed from Loose Women, Colin Daniels, Digital Spy, 11 July 2011
  7. ^ Coleen's Leaving, itv.com, 20 July 2011
  8. ^ "LOOSE WOMAN: THE KAYE ADAMS COLUMN". Daily Record. 4 August 2007. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/saturday/tm_method=full%26objectID=19569585%26siteID=66633-name_page.html. Retrieved 7 August 2007. 
  9. ^ Loose Women anchor Jackie Brambles quits on air The Sun, 6 May 2009
  10. ^ Presenters - Loose Women at itv.com
  11. ^ Loose Women Summary TV.com, tv.com, 21 July 2011
  12. ^ Loose Women Full Cast & Crew, imdb.com, 21 July 2011
  13. ^ Loose @ 5.30, IMDB, 20 July 2011
  14. ^ Live Talk, IMDB, 20 July 2011
  15. ^ Children In Need, ITV, 20 July 2011
  16. ^ Frauenzimmer Wikipedia.de, 17 August 2010
  17. ^ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (6 June 2008). "Is Loose Women hateful". The Guardian. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2008/06/is_loose_women_hateful.html. Retrieved 18 June 2008. 
  18. ^ Orr, Bridget (6 June 2008). "The loose cannons of daytime TV". The Guardian. http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/women/story/0,,2284241,00.html. Retrieved 18 June 2008. 
  19. ^ Joan Rivers thrown off Loose Women for Russell Crowe outburst Media Guardian, 17 June 2008
  20. ^ Joan Rivers taken off TV's Loose Women after four-letter rant at Russell Crowe Daily Mirror, 17 June 2008
  21. ^ Mark Coleman and Paul Revoir (18 June 2008). "Yes, I swore and I'm so ******* sorry: Joan Rivers shows no remorse for her four-letter outburst on TV's Loose Women". Mail Online. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1027219/Yes-I-swore-Im-----sorry-Joan-Rivers-shows-remorse-letter-outburst-TVs-Loose-Women.html. 
  22. ^ Moir, Jan (1 February 2010). "How was Loose Women voted best factual TV show when it is fronted by a gaggle of sexual incontinents?". Mail Online. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1247214/JAN-MOIR-How-Loose-Women-voted-best-factual-TV-fronted-gaggle-sexual-incontinents.html. Retrieved 1 February 2010. 
  23. ^ Karl Pilkington: A Day in the Life iTunes
  24. ^ [1] Buy Let Loose play, 20 July 2011]
  25. ^ [2] Buy Late Night play, 20 July 2011]
  26. ^ Loose Women In New York Play.com, 17 August 2010
  27. ^ ITV Shop Results ITV, 20 July 2011
  28. ^ Coronation Street leads ITV Victory guardian.co.uk, 20 July 2011
  29. ^ Loose Women running amok dailymail.co.uk, 20 July 2011
  30. ^ a b TV Quick Awards itv.com, 20 July 2011
  31. ^ 2009 Winners tric.org.uk, 20 July 2011
  32. ^ All the 2009 winners whatsontv.co.uk, 20 July 2011
  33. ^ Loose Women hit Afterparty dailymail.co.uk, 20 July 2011
  34. ^ Loose Women stars live reputations dailymail.co.uk, 20 July 2011
  35. ^ National Television Awards Nominations in full metro.co.uk, 20 July 2011

External links

Loose Women
Anchors
Panellists