Shock tactics Murdoch's ailing talkTV heading for revamp as ratings flatline

Rupert Murdoch's talkTV has been struggling to attract an audience for its culture warrior output. But staff the channel are now worried they have recently gained one particular viewer: Murdoch himself, who has arrived in London and is taking an active interest in his station's fate.

- Jim Waterson

The mogul has invested tens of millions of pounds in talkTV, but after just two months on air there are fears it could become a costly disaster unless he makes a rapid intervention, with official viewing figures dipping to zero at some points during evening broadcasts.

On Wednesday, in advance of an expected relaunch, the company appointed a former Daily Mirror editor, Richard Wallace, as the channel's new boss. This followed a senior behind-the-scenes executive quitting last week and Fox News staff being deputised to help sharpen up the channel.

The company has plastered presenter Piers Morgan's face on billboards across the country but his monologues and rants about woke culture - including an attempt to skewer the rail union boss Mick Lynch for having a Thunderbirds baddie as his Facebook profile picture - have so far failed to resonate with audiences.

On Monday night, the flagship Piers Morgan Uncensored attracted just 64,000 viewers. Programmes that beat Morgan in the same time slot included a documentary about the water around Alcatraz on the National Geographic channel and a repeat of the 1970s sitcom The Good Life on Gold.

According to sources at talkTV, Morgan has suggested Murdoch should make a blow-out bid to hire his former Good Morning Britain colleague Susanna Reid for talkTV. Reid's agent did not deny that discussions had taken place but declined to comment further. There is no indication that Reid is on the cusp of leaving the ITV breakfast show, although she has been off air in recent days.