Steph McGovern teases 'first day back at work' after Packed Lunch axe

Steph McGovern has shared a photo of her getting back to her journalism roots after the cancellation of her Channel 4 daytime chat show.

Former BBC business reporter McGovern shared her disappointment at Steph's Packed Lunch being axed late last year - but in an update for her social media followers, she looked thrilled to be diving back into work for 2024 with a high-profile interview for her podcast.

McGovern and ITV's political editor Robert Peston host the podcast The Rest Is Money and she posted a photo of her first day at work this year, smiling as she stood outside 10 Downing Street. She wrote on Monday: "First day back at work. A bit different from my usual hang out….."

McGovern offered further details on Tuesday by commenting on her post on X with a photo sitting alongside Peston and Jeremy Hunt, which she captioned: "First interview on @therestismoney - the Chancellor. We talk about his life in biz (before politics)….what he learnt, especially from his failures (trying to sell marmalade in Japan). Plus productivity, skills, taxes +his love of dancing the Lambada."

The journalist was well known to viewers as a regular on BBC Breakfast, but left the programme in 2019 for Channel 4.

Steph's Packed Lunch

After lockdown hit, she launched chat show The Steph Show in 2020, recording it herself from her living room, which later morphed into studio-based lunchtime show Steph's Packed Lunch.

But despite its popularity, in October 2023 Channel 4 announced that Steph's Packed Lunch was being axed and would air for the last time in December.

A Channel 4 statement at the time read: "Steph has not only made the nation's lunchtimes more entertaining and brilliantly reflected the views and preoccupations of the country, but the show has also been an outstanding springboard for developing local talent behind the scenes.

"However, with audience habits changing quicker than ever, we have to make difficult decisions about which programmes to invest in to best drive our digital-first strategy, and we have decided not to recommission Steph's Packed Lunch when its existing production contract ends in December 2023."

Read more: Steph McGovern

• Steph McGovern in tears as she closes final episode of Steph's Packed Lunch (Digital Spy, 2 min read)

• Steph McGovern had a stalker when she worked for the BBC (Bang Showbiz, 2 min read)

• Steph's Packed Lunch axed by Channel 4 after three years on air (HuffPost, 3 min read)