Former BBC Breakfast co-presenters Bill Turnbull and Susanna Reid are set to reunite on screen later this month, it has been confirmed. Bill, 64, will fill in for Susanna's current Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan, while he is on holiday for three days from 24 February. The former co-hosts appeared on BBC Breakfast together until 2014 when Susanna left the broadcaster for ITV. Bill's presenting debut on GMB will mark his return to breakfast television following his diagnosis with prostate cancer.
© Photo: RexBill Turnbull will reunite with Susanna Reid on GMB
The veteran broadcaster admitted he was "thrilled" to be back working with Susanna. "Susanna's an old friend. I first worked with her in Washington when I was a correspondent and she was a producer, which must be 25 years ago," he said after the news was announced. "It's great when you work with someone you like on television and it's effortless. It comes really naturally and you develop a rhythm and a silent understanding of who is going to do what and you recognise each other's patterns and it's easy."
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Susanna added: "When Bill came into GMB, he joked about filling in for Piers - and now he is! It will be lovely to work alongside him again. I expect Bill presenting a breakfast show again will be like a duck taking to water - if the early alarm call isn’t too much of a shock."
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On his BBC colleagues' reaction with his move to ITV, Bill shared: "I hope they will be glad to see I'm still working. They are still very good friends of mine. I'm just back in the game, I suppose. Television Centre is where I started in television more than 30 years ago, and presenting 20 years ago. I never imagined I would be able to do a show from there again. It's great Good Morning Britain is there. So, in some ways it's like coming home."
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However, Bill did admit that his presenting style is nothing like Piers. "I don't have such strong opinions as Piers has and I don't voice them as much as he likes to," he added. "There are quite a few differences between us." He continued: "It goes against my personal grain really as I'm so used to not spouting off on air. I've been working on commercial radio, so to a limited degree I've had more freedom. But who knows what might happen. It might be that the beast might be unleashed on air, you'll have to watch and find out."
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