Susanna Reid and Bill Turnbull's GMB reunion gets off to a bumpy start as 'screens go blank'

Bill Turnbull, 65, won praise from Good Morning Britain viewers on Monday when he was reunited with Susanna Reid, 50, to play host on the show.

They were reunited seven years after they co-anchored BBC Breakfast, and viewers were over the moon to see them hosting side-by-side again for the show, which included a technical gaffe and a racy joke from the lauded presenter.  

Fans flooded social media with praise, including notes about Bill’s healthy appearance following his battle with prostate cancer, after his diagnosis in 2017.

Reunited: Bill Turnbull, 65, won praise from Good Morning Britain viewers on Monday when he was reunited with Susanna Reid, 50, to play host on the show

Fans of the show wrote on Twitter: ‘Bill Turnbull is looking well, and you Susanna are absolutely gorgeous as always. Finally some professional and likeable presenters on GMB. I hope you enjoy the reunion… 

‘I think quite a few people tuned in today to see bill turnbull on TV again ; first time GMB has been watchable for ages ! I will be watching again tomorrow :)… 

‘How nice to see #billturnbull on #GMB Calm, consise and no raised voices to be heard. Welcome back to the fold… Great to see Big Bill Turnbull back on breakfast TV #GMB… Bill Turnbull is a class act @GMB Wonderful to see you… 

‘Great to see the lovely Bill Turnbull… @billtu n #GMB this morning! He’s looking great! Stay well Bill hope you’re going to be a regular again… How good is Bill Turnbull though? Kind, professional and respectful.’  

Looking good! Fans flooded social media with praise, including notes about Bill’s healthy appearance following his battle with prostate cancer, after his diagnosis in 2017

Speaking about his comeback, Bill said: ”I’m delighted beyond words’, before gushing to his co-host: ‘It’s been too long, Susanna!’

But despite the presenters being overjoyed to be working together again, their first show back on television got off to a bumpy start.

Susanna explained: ‘Unfortunately, we do have a few technical issues this morning, so the director has been having nightmares overnight. We do have our screens, but you’ll notice they are currently blank.’ 

Old colleagues: Bill and Susanna co-hosted BBC Breakfast until Susanna’s 2014 departure for GMB, but their first show back on air together was hit by technical difficulties 

Bill also admitted he didn’t get as much sleep as he would have liked on Sunday as his Chinese takeaway took ‘an hour and 55 minutes’ to arrive.

He explained: ‘They very kindly cooked it again and sent a very nice man on a bicycle and I watched him coming very, very slowly on his bike. So I was eating 20 minutes after I should’ve been asleep.’ He sarcastically added: ‘I’m in a really good mood this morning as a result.’

Nevertheless, fans were quick to take to Twitter to express delight over the reunion – with the pair having co-hosted BBC Breakfast until Susanna’s 2014 departure for GMB – with one tweeting: ‘Bill Turnbull back with Susanna Reid, superb.’  

Susanna and Bill’s chemistry was undeniable, with the pair even engaging in a cheeky exchange.

Oh dear: Bill also admitted he didn’t get as much sleep as he would have liked on Sunday as his Chinese takeaway took ‘an hour and 55 minutes’ to arrive

Susanna asked Bill if he had suffered ‘nightmares’ last night, and he admitted that while he didn’t sleep that well, he still found time to get up and do a spot of yoga this morning.

He said: ‘Always first time back on an early I never sleep properly anyway. But I got up early and I did my yoga.

‘I’ve always done that, 10 to 15 minutes of yoga to get the blood flowing. Downward dog and all that. We can have a go later, Susanna. There’s plenty of space here on the floor.

‘Before we finish on Wednesday, we should do a session on the floor.’

He joked: ‘I mean of yoga!’ Susanna replied: ‘Steady on, Bill Turnbull. We have known each other a long time.’

Chemistry: Susanna and Bill’s chemistry was undeniable, with the pair even engaging in a cheeky exchange

It was announced last week that Bill would be Susanna’s co-anchor.

‘I am very pleased to be back presenting on GMB, especially as I get to be reunited with my old pal Susanna,’ Bill said.

Susanna added: ‘I am delighted Bill is back in the presenter chair at the GMB desk

‘He has been a beloved favourite of breakfast television viewers for years and a good friend of mine.’  

Neil Thompson, Good Morning Britain Editor, praised the pair’s ‘brilliant and enduring onscreen partnership’ ahead of them reuniting.

He said: ‘I’m thrilled that Bill is re-joining us behind the GMB desk.

Like old times: Bill was happy to be reunited once more with Susanna as her Good Morning Britain co-anchor [pictured in 2020 when he filled in for Piers Morgan]

‘It’s not just his brilliant and enduring onscreen partnership with Susanna that makes its mark, it’s his relationship with the audience in general, one based on authenticity, authority, warmth, humour and trust.’

Bill and Susanna were previously reunited on GMB in February 2020 when he sat in for Piers who was on a break.

Susanna said during the reunion: ‘I haven’t heard that for a number of years – Susanna Reid and Bill Turnbull.’

To which he gushed: ‘I know, go on pinch me because I can’t believe this is really happening.’

Earlier this week, Richard Madeley admitted he thinks he ‘suits’ being a presenter on Good Morning Britain after Piers’ departure from the programme.

Departure: In March, Piers Morgan announced he had quit GMB after Alex Beresford challenged his comments about the Duchess of Sussex and her interview with Oprah Winfrey [pictured 2019]

The TV presenter, 65, has been one of the other stand-in presenters since 2017 and confirmed he will be back again next month.

Speaking to The Sun, Richard admitted he is unsure if he will take over permanently in the role, despite being named as one of the front-runners for the gig.

He said: ‘It’s a good show to do. It suits me and, yeah, I think I suit it. Whether I’m going to be asked to take over, I have no idea. I have had no approach at any level formally or informally. The phone hasn’t rung, I haven’t had a ping into my inbox.

‘The bookies have me down as the front-runner and there have been opinion polls where I’ve come out reasonably well, but there’s a huge difference between that and it being a reality.

Contender: Richard Madeley has admitted he thinks he ‘suits’ being a presenter on Good Morning Britain after Piers’ departure from the programme 

‘I’ll go in, I’ll fill in, I’ll enjoy it and I hope they ask me back. But in terms of sitting in for Piers, it’s a completely open question.’

Richard admitted that he doesn’t have a career plan and has turned down a lot of work that sounded like ‘too much hard work’.

The broadcaster added that being offered the Good Morning Britain gig would have meant more to him when he was 40 as he feels he has nothing left to prove now.

Other names in the running for the job include Judge Rinder, Good Morning Britain’s Adil Ray and Ben Shephard.

Richard reckons ITV bosses are taking their time before deciding on who Piers’ permanent replacement will be.

He added: ‘I’ll go in, I’ll fill in, I’ll enjoy it and I hope they ask me back. But in terms of sitting in for Piers, it’s a completely open question’ [pictured with wife Judy Finnigan]

Richard also recently told Metro: ‘If the phone went and they said, ‘Would you come in and talk?’ of course I would talk to them. It would be bonkers not to. But I very much like sitting in for people. I have all the fun and very little of the responsibility or flak.’

And while Piers is regularly seen going toe-to-toe with trolls on Twitter, Richard insists he ‘doesn’t give a f**k’ about what they’d say about him should he leave himself open to criticism by sharing his views on the show.

He said of the possibility of facing trolls: ‘I personally couldn’t give a f**k. Far too many younger presenters have been affected by Twitter and cowed by it.

‘I remember when I started sitting in for Piers on Good Morning Britain, I’d have a look at Twitter after I’d done a programme and, yes, you get some nice comments but you also get horrendous abuse and, from time to time, death threats.’

In March, Piers announced he had quit GMB after Alex Beresford, 40, challenged his comments about Meghan Markle, 37, and her interview with Oprah Winfrey, 67.

The outspoken GMB host left the daytime show after he insisted he ‘didn’t believe a word’ of Meghan’s account of suffering suicidal thoughts and experiencing racism at the hands of the royal family.

Piers then walked off set after a fierce debate with Alex, in which the weather presenter accused Piers of unfairly ‘trashing’ Meghan, and branded him ‘diabolical’.

Piers, who refused to apologise, later announced his resignation and tweeted his thanks to the GMB team, praising them for their ‘hard work and dedication’ that led to them beating their main TV rival, BBC Breakfast.

One woman show: Susanna has been holding the fort sine Piers’ departure