EyeSpy: Remembering TV-am’s Mike Morris
The broadcaster Mike Morris, best known for his role as anchor on Good Morning Britain alongside Lorraine Kelly in the late 1980s and early 90s, has died aged 65.
His first foray into journalism was with the Surrey Comet in 1969, later joining a news wire agency as one of their editors. In 1974 he became a sports reporter for a newspaper group before moving over to broadcasting in 1979 with ITV London company, Thames Television as a reporter and news producer for Thames News and Thames at Six.
Morris was with TV-am from its inception, remaining with the station until its demise nine years later. He was first seen as part of TV-am News and Daybreak in the sports department as a reporter. Following a presenter shake-up due to a ratings crisis Morris was promoted to weekend presenter of the stations’ flagship magazine programme Good Morning Britain.
In 1987 he became one of the main weekday presenters, working alongside many co-hosts such as Anne Diamond and Lorraine Kelly.
“Mike was a delightful man [he] was such a generous presenter… he didn’t make a big fuss or a song and dance, he made it look easy. And I think in some ways he was under-rated because of that.” – Lorraine Kelly
TV-am lost its ITV Breakfast contract to GMTV which replaced the network’s first breakfast company in January 1993. Morris famously stood outside the TV-am studios when news of GMTV’s success was announced and told reporters he was “gutted” and the staff didn’t deserve to lose their jobs.
He later joined GMTV for a short spell to front their weekend series Sunday Best before replacing Richard Whiteley on Yorkshire Television’s Calendar News in 1996. He remained with the local news operation until 2002.
Mike Morris 1947 – 2012
Below is a classic Good Morning Britain as Mike and Anne meet a superstar on that famous breakfast sofa.
