Piers Morgan pulls out of hosting RTS Awards over 'silly' campaign

Piers Morgan has pulled out of hosting the Royal Television Society Programme Awards over a "silly" campaign to ban him.

The Good Morning Britain presenter was only announced as the ceremony's host on Thursday, but has now decided to stand down from the post following a furore over his appointment.

One petition said Morgan was "not acceptable" for the role and called on the RTS to "reconsider their position".

In a statement, Morgan said he stood down as he did not want to be an "unnecessary distraction".

He said: "After my role was announced, a campaign was started to have me banned.

"It suggested that I lack the 'creative excellence' criteria required for presenting such an event and therefore my presence would be 'damaging' and 'inappropriate'.

"Further, I have 'failed to understand a social movement that values equality and diversity of voice'".

He added: "Apparently, this movement does not extend to tolerating my own diverse voice.

"I have no wish to serve as an unnecessary distraction from award winners whose hard work and skill should be celebrated without any of the silly noise this campaign has generated."

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RTS chief executive Theresa Wise initially said Morgan would be a "perfect guest" due to his "reputation for being opinionated and his wealth of experience working within the industry".

Accepting the offer, the former Daily Mirror editor joked he agreed to host the ceremony because it would be the only way he would "ever stand on a podium at a TV awards ceremony in Britain".

Shortly after Morgan announced his decision to pull out of hosting, his Good Morning Britain co-presenter Susanna Reid tweeted her support.

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She said: "There's a lot that @piersmorgan and I disagree on.

"But as someone who knows what a very good presenter he is, I think this is a real shame."

The RTS Programme Awards are due to be held on 21 March.