Whenever Richard Madeley steps in for Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, you can always guarantee there will be an Alan Partridge moment.
And sure enough, it didn’t take long for Richard to deliver as he took the reins of the ITV breakfast show on Monday.
The presenter managed to swear not once, but twice, as he hosted alongside Charlotte Hawkins.
First up, the pair were chatting to London mayor Sadiq Khan about a new ultra low emission zone that is being introduced in the centre of the capital this week in an effort to combat rising pollution.
During the chat, Richard remarked that there was “no point dicking about” when it came to pollution levels in London.
Later in the show, Richard and Charlotte were interviewing The Voice coach Olly Murs and his winning contestant Molly Hocking when he turned the air blue again.
Asking Molly about her victory during Saturday night’s final of the ITV talent competition, he said: “How does it feel when you think ‘oh shit’, I’ve won it!”
While Molly, Olly and Charlotte smirked at Richard’s clanger, he seemingly didn’t notice what he had said, and carried on with the chat.
It was only at the end of the interview that he issued an apology, telling viewers: “Apparently I may have said the word starting with s beginning with t then, I didn’t think I had, but if I did, I do apologise.”
Richard has gained somewhat of a cult following since joining the GMB stand-in team two years ago, which recently resulted in claims he was set to become a permanent fixture.
However, a GMB source later told HuffPost UK this was not the case.
“GMB love having Richard on to fill for Piers Morgan and Ben Shephard but there are no current plans for him to have a regular slot,” they said.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.