Martin Lewis to host This Morning in 'bucket list' role for TV career

Martin Lewis has been unveiled as the latest guest presenter of This Morning, before the reins are handed over to new permanent co-hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.

The finance journalist, also known as Money Saving Expert, has been offering viewers of the ITV daytime show money advice for two decades, but now he will get the chance to lead a programme in a one-off appearance that he called a "bucket list thing".

Lewis is set to host This Morning on Monday, 4 March, although his co-host has not yet been announced, and he told his fans on X just how excited he was to take up a spot on the sofa in his last chance before the line-up change.

"I've been expert-ing on @thismorning for 21yrs - in recent times usually from home," Lewis wrote. "Well I'm going in on Monday... because having mentioned off-hand to the producers last week that I'd like to present it ONCE (bucket list thing), they said come on and give it a go! No idea if I'll be any good at it, especially the less serious bits, but it'll be fun to try - before the proper new dynamic duo of Ben & Cat get going."

New permanent hosts Shephard and Deeley are set to make their show debut a week later, on Monday, 11 March, marking an end to a long trial period of various guest presenters since Phillip Schofield's exit in May 2023 and Holly Willoughby's departure in October.

How Martin Lewis fans reacted to his news

During his decades as a straight-talking money expert, Lewis has gathered a large following who are always pleased to hear his advice.

So when the broadcaster announced he would be hosting This Morning, it went down well with one person joking with him on X: "Will you be getting paid annually or by monthly direct debit?"

Another fan responded: "Well cancel my nail appointment & open the bourbons," while someone else wrote: "You’ll smash it !! Enjoy the experience xx"

"Best wishes MrL, let’s hope you enjoy it as much as the nation enjoy you sharing your wisdom and knowledge," commented one of his fans. Someone else added: "You'll be great. I am a little surprised this hasn't happened before."

What else has Martin Lewis presented?

Bosses at This Morning can be sure they are in good hands with Lewis, as he has a wealth of experience in broadcasting - including on many of ITV's daytime shows.

This Morning expert

As he pointed out, Lewis has been offering money-saving advice to This Morning viewers for 21 years now, so he should definitely be comfortable with the show's format.

He appears every week by video from home to rattle through viewers' personal finance questions and comment on financial news and developments, and has also regularly spoken about identity fraud after fake images and videos of him were used in advertising products.

Good Morning Britain

This Morning isn't the only ITV show that has been trying out different guest presenters - breakfast news programme Good Morning Britain still does not have a permanent replacement after Piers Morgan quit in 2021, and is about to lose Ben Shephard to the daytime chat show.

Lewis is one of the many guest presenters rotating as co-host with Susanna Reid, along with the likes of Ed Balls, Richard Madeley and Rob Rinder. He has proved particularly useful in grilling MPs over financial stories and is popular with viewers.

The Martin Lewis Money Show

Finance expert Lewis's main TV gig currently is ITV's Martin Lewis Money Show, a current affairs and consumer programme that packs in huge amounts of simple-to-follow advice.

Whether it's PPI claims, Universal Credit advice, or tips on how to pick up a bargain holiday, Lewis is a trusted face in discussing financial issues and making them accessible to viewers.

Becoming Money Saving Expert

He's famed for his website and its huge resource of money tips and tricks on everything from travel to heating bills, but Lewis actually built up his nickname across a number of TV appearances.

Back at the turn of the millennium, Lewis joined Angela Rippon for a satellite channel called Simply Money, where he honed his Money Saving Expert persona until backing for the channel was pulled in 2001 and it was cancelled.

He later joined Channel 5's Open House with Gloria Hunniford, where he starred in Money Saving Expert slots on the chat show.

Money tips on TV

As well as his consumer championing work, Lewis has been a business and finance journalist for decades, including a reporter role on BBC Breakfast.

Other ITV shows have included daytime show Make Me Rich, special money episodes of Tonight, and financial advice slots on Lorraine. He also fronted the Channel 5 show It Pays To Watch!.

Radio advice shows

Keen Money Saving Expert fans will know that Lewis doesn't just appear on TV - you can also regularly hear his advice on the radio.

His early roles included jobs at BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Radio 4's Today programme, and later in his career he returned to Five Live with a weekly finance tips slot on The Emma Barnett Show.

Read more: Ben Shephard on This Morning

• Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley confirmed as This Morning presenters (PA Media, 2 min read)

• Ben Shephard fights tears as he hosts GMB for last time (Digital Spy, 2 min read)

• Ben Shephard: I can only cope with going to This Morning as GMB is not far away (PA Media, 4 min read)