Vanessa is a British daytime talk show presented by British broadcaster Vanessa Feltz. The show was originally broadcast on ITV from 13 May 1994 to 18 September 1998. The programme was relaunched as a current affairs programme on 5 between 24 March 2025 and 17 July 2026.[1][2] On 18 June 2026, after struggling with persistent prank callers, it was announced that the show would not be renewed as part of changes to the afternoon schedule. The final episode is expected to be aired in July 2026.
| Vanessa | |
|---|---|
.png) Title card from the 2025 revival | |
| Genre | Tabloid talk show (1994–1998) Talk show, News programme (2025–) |
| Presented by | Vanessa Feltz |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1994–1998) 60–70 minutes (2025–present) (inc. advertisements) |
| Production companies | Anglia in association with Multimedia Enterprises (1994–1998) ITN Productions (2025–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 13 May 1994 – 18 September 1998 |
| Network | 5 |
| Release | 24 March 2025 – present |
| Related | |
| The Vanessa Show Jeremy Vine | |
History
editVanessa launched on ITV on 13 May 1994, and featured guests and a studio audience, of which Feltz would often discuss and attempt to resolve their issues. In August 1998, it was reported that Feltz had been sacked by Anglia because of her "unreal" demands to have her wages doubled to £2.75 million. Feltz also wanted the show's production base moved from Ipswich to London and to front more prime-time shows.[3] The programme aired its final episode on ITV on 18 September 1998, with Feltz moving to the BBC the following year where she presented The Vanessa Show, a prime-time morning show following a similar format,[4] Vanessa was subsequently replaced by Trisha shortly after airing.[5] In 2006, Feltz returned to ITV as the host of a new talk show called Vanessa's Real Lives which was produced by Endemol's Brighter Pictures and ran for only one series.[6]
In 2025, following Feltz's announcement of her departure from her role on ITV morning talk show This Morning,[7] she joined ITN Productions to host a Channel 5 daytime talk show spin-off of Jeremy Vine, which was advertised as an alternative to ITV daytime talk show Loose Women.[8][9] The series was launched in March 2025, initially airing from 12:30 pm to 1:40 pm. The set initially consisted of pink furniture and graphics. Unlike the original series, the show does not feature a studio audience and Feltz is usually joined by three celebrity panellists. Feltz introduces three current affairs topics at the head of show and takes phone-ins from the public.[10] In July 2025, the programme won the award for Best Talk Show at the National Reality Television Awards.[11] In August 2025, its run was extended to "eight months at least" by Channel 5. The broadcaster was reportedly thinking of ways to "revamp" the programme to attract more viewers. The show received a set overhaul with the pink theme being replaced with new yellow graphics and a toned down set.[12] Since January 2026, the programme has run from 2 pm to 3 pm. This also saw a further set and graphics change, with Feltz sitting behind a desk instead of on a sofa.[13]
In February 2026, the programme began receiving a number of prank phone calls, with callers impersonating various celebrities including Kim Woodburn and Lauren Harries, as well as several characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders including Bea Pollard, Julie Bates, Sandra Goodwin, Zoe Slater, Nicola Mitchell, Mo Harris and Elaine Peacock, reciting storylines from the soap opera and pretending they were genuine callers, as well as slipping in British pop culture references from social media and television shows.[14] Another occasion saw two callers phone in whilst Nicola McLean was a panellist, one of whom impersonated Woodburn and another who branded her a "bitch" for her treatment of Woodburn during their appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.[15] In May 2026, whilst Cherry Healey was guest presenting the show and Amelle Berrabah was a panellist, a caller phoned in reciting the lyrics of "Get Sexy" by Berrabah's former group Sugababes, before singing their song "About a Girl". Both Berrabah and Healey were amused by the call.[16][17] In June 2026, a caller phoned in impersonating Jill Tyrell, a character portrayed by Julia Davis in Nighty Night. Later that month, it was announced that the show had been axed by 5, with reports citing the persistent prank calls and low viewing figures as the reason, with the final episode due to air on 17 July 2026.[18]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organisation | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1st National Television Awards | Most Popular Talk Show | Nominated | [19] |
| 2025 | National Reality Television Awards | Best Talk Show | Won | [11] |
References
edit- ↑ White, Jim (14 September 1994). "TELEVISION / Chat show from over there looks odd over here". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ Lyall, Sarah (7 May 1995). "TELEVISION; Stiff Upper Lips on British Talk Shows (Lower, Too)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ "Vanessa fired for pay demand". BBC. 19 August 1998. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ "Vanessa's dream comes true". BBC. 27 August 1998. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ McCann, Paul (12 February 1999). "A career plagued by trouble". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ "Feltz returns to ITV for new talkshow". Digital Spy. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ↑ Whittingham, Bethany (14 March 2025). "Vanessa Feltz announces she's 'quit This Morning' after 33 years on the ITV show". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ "ITN Productions produces new Channel 5 daytime show with Vanessa Feltz - ITN Productions | Media Centre | ITN". www.itn.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ Anisiobi, J. J. (17 March 2025). "Vanessa Feltz's new show goes head to head with Loose Women". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ Raphael, Amy. "Vanessa Feltz: 'My parents told me I was lacking in every way that matters' | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Vanessa Feltz shares real reason she won't fear cancel culture as she reveals why she's proud to be British: 'Free speech!'". GB News. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Channel 5 show Vanessa has commission extended". Yahoo News. 26 August 2025. Archived from the original on 26 August 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ↑ "ITN Productions' daytime output for 5 expanded with Matt Allwright show - ITN Productions | Media Centre | ITN". Archived from the original on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
- ↑ "EastEnders' Bea Pollard gatecrashes another TV show - but there's a catch". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ↑ "EastEnders' Bea Pollard gatecrashes another TV show - but there's a catch". Digital Spy. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Vanessa Feltz's show hit by prank callers pretending to be EastEnders characters". The Independent. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Vanessa Feltz 'blindsided' as Channel 5 show is axed after prank calls". The Independent. 18 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ↑ "Channel 5 axes Vanessa Feltz show after one year amid falling ratings". Digital Spy. 18 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ↑ "The winner takes it all...". Inside Soap. No. 38. 5–28 September 1995. p. 8.