Good Morning Britain faced backlash on Tuesday’s episode during a deepfake scam interview.
During the latest episode, hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls spoke to guest Nikki MacLeod, 77, live from Edinburgh after she was scammed out of £17,000 by someone pretending to be a woman named ‘Alla Morgan’, who claimed to be working on an oil rig in the North Sea.
She met the scammer in an online chat group. ‘Alla Morgan’ sent Nikki personal messages using convincing AI-generated videos and Nikki appeared on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain to raise awareness of sophisticated scammers.
However, despite being an important topic, viewers were left confused during the chat as Ed kept repeatedly trying to ask Nikki questions as she chatted over him. At various stages during the interview, the duo were talking on top of each other, leading some viewers to claim the interview was ‘excruciating’ to watch, and eventually the show had to interrupt the chat short.
Good Morning Britain faced backlash on Tuesday’s episode during a deepfake scam interview -Credit:ITV
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Taking to Twitter, now X, one person said: “That was excruciating #GMB”, a different account put: “Ed can’t get a word in edgeways”, another put: “Think Ed wants to end the interview #gmb” while another added: “She’s totally ignoring Ed!”
Yet following the chat, Susanna, 54, explained that there had been a technical blunder as Nikki’s earpiece had fallen out, meaning she couldn’t hear Ed and hadn’t realised she was talking over him.
Susanna said: “We apologise to Nikki because unfortunately she lost her earpiece which meant she couldn’t hear what you were saying, Ed, that’s why we had to just interrupt her.”
It comes as Good Morning Britain turned awkward on Monday as Ed was called out by a guest for looking ‘baffled’.
During the episode, Ed and Susanna spoke to comedian Jenny Eclair amid her current tour. However, during the interview, things took an awkward turn when Jenny called out Ed for not getting one of her jokes.
During the latest episode, hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls spoke to guest Nikki MacLeod -Credit:ITV
After telling the gag, Jenny, 64, said: “Ed’s looking a bit blank, I don’t think he got that joke!” prompting the comedian to repeat it again.
However, Ed didn’t get the joke again to which Susanna quipped: “Let’s hope you don’t have to explain the other jokes!” while Ed joked: “I can’t wait to come [to the tour].”
To which Jenny said: “No, please don’t, and if you do, please sit at the back so I can’t see your baffled little face.
“I don’t mind, sometimes you get some people who have great faces for watching comedy and then there’s people like Ed, who just go: ‘Oh, what? What, I don’t get?'” as Jenny repeated the joke again.
However, this prompted Ed to admit: “To be honest, I’ve no idea what’s going on. Where am I?”
Following the interview, Jenny took to Twitter, now X, to write: “Job jobbed! I told a joke that Ed didn’t understand! Not my finest TV moment- ha!”
Good Morning Britain continues on weekdays at 6am on both ITV and ITV X.