Britain’s enthusiasm for politics alongside their Sunday morning breakfast is reportedly declining. This week marks the one-year anniversary of former BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg taking over the prime BBC slot from Andrew Marr. However, live ratings have seen a decline, according to The Sunday Times.
After a summer break, the 47-year-old presenter was joined this morning by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and a panel of guests including Piers Morgan, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza.
BARB, which compiles television ratings in the UK, reports that while Andrew Marr consistently attracted an average of 1.9 million viewers per show during his 16-year tenure as host of The Andrew Marr Show, Kuenssberg’s numbers have not fared as well.
After a highly anticipated first show on September 4th of last year, ratings remained steady at 1.5 million viewers per episode but have now dipped to 1.2 million in 2023, a decrease of 700,000 viewers compared to Marr’s previous numbers.
Ex BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg is celebrating a year of presenting her own political show in the coveted Sunday morning spot this weekend – but ratings have dipped
However, the BBC has stated that they are satisfied with the show’s performance. They argue that the figures do not accurately represent the impact of the pandemic or the number of people who watch the show on catch-up via screens, phones, tablets, and iPlayer. According to the BBC, the actual average viewership is 1.5 million, which is comparable to Andrew Marr’s numbers before the pandemic. The broadcaster stated that it is meaningless to use the extraordinary period of the pandemic as a comparison.
A spokesperson for the BBC said, “We’re very pleased SWLK [Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg] has become the weekend’s agenda-setting programme.”
After serving as BBC political editor for seven years, Kuenssberg announced in December 2021 that she would be leaving her role to host her own show, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
According to BARB, which measures TV ratings, Kuenssberg isn’t fairing quite as well with viewers compared to her predecessor Andrew Marr
Kuenssberg and the BBC faced criticism during the show’s launch episode last year for booking comedian Joe Lycett, who mocked Liz Truss days before her brief term as Prime Minister. Despite featuring prominent political figures such as Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, ratings have continued to decline.
In contrast, Sky News recently announced the relaunch of a Sunday politics show hosted by Sir Trevor Phillips, following the discontinuation of its previous show, Sophy Ridge on Sunday. Phillips previously filled in for Ridge during her maternity leave in 2021, becoming the first person of color to host a flagship UK politics show.
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