This Morning presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley attempted to rescue an interview that went sideways on today’s show after technical glitches sparked confusion. The ITV hosts were in the midst of chatting to outraged local residents fuming about Cambridgeshire County Council’s new hanging basket rule when they encountered serious technical difficulties.
During today’s Spring-themed segment on hanging flower baskets, Ben and Cat spoke to Members of the Chatteris in Bloom group, who have previously won gold at Britain in Bloom and Anglia in Bloom for their floral displays. President of the group Sue Unwin, 64, and fellow volunteer Anne appeared riled up as they blasted Cambridgeshire County Council for telling them they must complete a £300 health and safety course before putting hanging baskets on street lights.
Calling the new regulations “ridiculous”, the women insisted they didn’t need safety training, as they had been hanging the baskets for many years without any issues. However, their impassioned pleas were interrupted by a very poor signal, which left fans missing every other word of what they were saying.
Doing his best to recover the interview, Ben interjected: “Sue and Anne, I can see your frustration. The line’s not great, unfortunately, so we didn’t get all of that.
“But we can tell from your animation how angry and cross you are. You’ve been hanging these baskets beautifully for many years.
“Why suddenly you need to do this course now is beyond you,” he added. “You get that sense.
“Hopefully, Chatteris in Bloom will be another success this year and you will find a way to get those beautiful baskets up for everybody to enjoy. Thank you for joining us this morning.”
However, the interview wasn’t over, as one woman unexpectedly burst into song live on air with the explanation: “Our mantra is…”
She then sang: “Fight the good fight with all our might!”
The singing caught Ben and Cat off guard and the pair started laughing, with Cat enthusing: “That’s brilliant! Ladies, you rock.”
Ben added: “You get a sense of their frustration. They’ve been doing it for decades and now suddenly the council decided they need to do a health and safety course in Nottingham for over £300.
“Hopefully Sue and Anne have inspired your love of hanging baskets and they’re going to keep fighting the good fight.”
While some viewers were rather amused by the chaotic segment, others were astonished by the technical glitches and found them hard to watch.
Fans took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts.
“Bloody hell the noise,” one fan complained, while another lamented: “I can’t bear it, so why can’t I switch it off?” (sic)
Others were bemused by the signal quality, with one viewer quipping: “Are they calling from 1997??” (sic)
“This is going well,” another commented sarcastically, while one more joked: “1999 called. Wants it’s dial up back.” (sic)
“God it’s like the internet in the early 2000s,” yet another fan tweeted. (sic)
However, some people were cheered by the segment, with one person commenting: “The world needs more Sue and Anne’s! Good to see something local on #ThisMorning.” (sic)
Another praised Ben for rescuing the segment, remarking: “Good save Ben.” (sic)
Volunteers usually hang baskets on about 20 lampposts in the town at the end of May, and judging takes place in July, but this year Cambridgeshire County Council has said they must complete a two-day course or hire a contractor to hang the baskets to “ensure everyone’s safety”.
As reported by The Telegraph, a Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “It’s great seeing the creative ways that communities across the county make use of streetlights with festive displays.
“As streetlights are directly connected to the local power grid, to ensure everyone’s safety any group wishing to display items from a streetlight needs to get in touch with the council, so we can make sure essential independent safety training is completed for everyone’s well-being.
“We look forward to hearing from Chatteris in Bloom.”
This Morning airs from 10am on ITV and ITVX.
