This Morning slammed for offering to pay people's energy bills as competition prize

Today's episode of This Morning has been compared to Black Mirror after the presenters offered out payment for energy bills as a prize on a 'spin the wheel' competition.

When you think of This Morning, you probably think of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby laughing so hard they're unable to speak, maybe a guest with an unusual habit or relationship, or Alison Hammond knocking someone into the water.

Chances are, you won't think 'dystopian', or liken it to Netflix's gruesome game show series Squid Game - but that's exactly how the show has been described today (5 September).

The criticism came after Holly and Phil launched into their 'Spin to Win' competition, which made a comeback this month and allows hopeful participants to be in with a chance of winning by downloading the This Morning app.

Players fill out a form and have to remember a passphrase to be in with a chance of playing the game, and if they make it on to the show they're greeted with a glitzy wheel filled with prizes. Today's wheel featured various cash prizes, including the biggest cash value of £1,000, but among the money there were also sections titled 'energy bills'.

Phil explained: "This is energy bills for four months if [the wheel] stops on that."

The presenter went on to ask the contestant how they were feeling about their energy bills, which for many Brits have increased exponentially since the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

The contestant explained they had a pre-pay energy meter and described the situation as 'absolutely murder'. Luckily, the wheel landed on an 'energy bill' section, meaning their bills are covered until the end of the year.

The winner described the result as 'fantastic', but the segment didn't go down well with viewers.

Sharing a clip of the game online, one Twitter user wrote: "#ThisMorning has turned completely dystopian and Black Mirror by offering to pay energy bills as a competition prize."

Another commented: "shame on #thismorning offering energy bills as a prize, what next, win a holiday to a remote island where you fight fellow islanders to the death ? free entry to the next Squid Game?"

ITV has been slammed for 'nearly mocking a huge crisis', with one Twitter user arguing 'we don't need game shows', but rather we need a government that will 'make everyone able to afford their energy bills as a basic human right'.

"Am I in a dream? This Morning doing a competition to pay someone’s energy bills for four months. Speechless at this dystopian nightmare," another person wrote.

The show aired shortly before Liz Truss was announced as the new prime minister, with the responsibility for running the country and tackling issues such as the rising energy costs now on her shoulders.

LADbible has reached out to ITV for comment.

Featured Image Credit: ITV

Topics: ITV, This Morning, Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Money

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.