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Alastair Campbell divides 'Good Morning Britain' viewers with debut

Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (11896756e)
Alastair Campbell and Susanna Reid
'Good Morning Britain' TV Show, London, UK - 10 May 2021
Alastair Campbell has split viewer opinion. (ITV/Shutterstock)

Alastair Campbell has made his Good Morning Britain presenting debut – but it has split opinion with viewers.

People tuning in on Monday morning could not decide whether the former Labour spin doctor was a perfect replacement for ex-host Piers Morgan, or didn't bring enough life to the show.

Campbell, 63, is only joining Susanna Reid as co-host of the ITV breakfast news show from 10 May to 12 May as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Read more: Richard Madeley would consider being Piers Morgan replacement

He assured viewers when his guest stint was announced that he was not "the new Piers Morgan", but people couldn't decide whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing to see more of Campbell on Good Morning Britain.

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock (11896775z)
Alastair Campbell
'Good Morning Britain' TV Show, London, UK - 10 May 2021
Alastair Campbell gave his views on mental health issues. (Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

One fan tweeted: "Must admit Alastair Campbell has a made for TV voice #GMB"

Another admirer added: "Absolutely loving @campbellclaret on @GMB already! Filling that gap nicely! Feels very natural #AlastairCampbell#gmb"

Someone else commented: "One day in and Alastair Campbell is a brilliant Bloke better than Piers Morgan.#GoodMorningBritain#GMB#AlastairCampbell"

But other viewers were less impressed by his debut.

One person tweeted: "Alastair campbell has well an truly killed off good morning britain, jesus #goodmorningbritain#GMB"

Someone else tweeted: "Surely Alastair Campbell isn’t a permanent appointment on #GMB he’s more wooden than Sherwood Forest!"

Another viewer tweeted: "Alastair Campbell has been on just over 10 mins and I can already say I’m not a fan #gmb"

Campbell was chosen for the presenting role during Mental Health Awareness Week because of his openness about his own struggles with depression.

Read more: Piers Morgan doubles down on Meghan row with April Fools' Day tweet

He recently published Living Better: How I Learned To Survive Depression which details his lowest points and how he managed to recover from them.

Morgan left his co-hosting role on Good Morning Britain in March after a row over his comments about Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (11896756i)
Alastair Campbell and Susanna Reid
'Good Morning Britain' TV Show, London, UK - 10 May 2021
Alastair Campbell is a guest presenter on Good Morning Britain. (ITV/Shutterstock)

It escalated into him storming out of the studio live on-air when co-star Alex Beresford called him out on the comments, and although Morgan later returned, he eventually quit over refusing to apologise for what he'd said about Meghan.

So far, no permanent replacement has been announced, with Ben Shepherd and Adil Ray taking turns in Morgan's old seat through the week.

Watch: Alastair Campbell's daughter says Tony Blair regularly featured in her therapy sessions