If you were a regular at the old-style NewsZone site, you’ll know that one of the people that got us the most mail was Mrs GMTV herself, Fiona Phillips. Unfortunately for her, none of it was ever prasing…
Fiona Phillips - Britain's most disliked presenter?
"A few words for NewsZone that describe Fiona from personal experience: Patronising, conceited ,obnoxious, snide, sarcastic, smug and arrogant."
- an un-named GMTV member of staff
"Even RI:SE was better than GMTV!"
Fiona Phillips is one of the most disliked faces on television. She has a few faces, so maybe people dislike different ones.
From a now defunct website (well only two members joined, so it was hardly a surprise!):
"Fiona Phillips is one of the best-known people in Britain - waking us up bright & early at 7am several mornings each week! Men love her, and women try to copy her hairstyle!
Everyone loves her for her mad sense of humour & her brilliant skills at interviewing everyone from politicians to families in crisis. Together with her GMTV co-presenters she covers the major issues of the day & speaks to those who can explain how they affect us all. She is to be admired for her honest, caring & non-judgemental approach. So it’s about time she had a website!!"
Well the facts, yes facts as documented by GMTV viewers and readers of the newspaper she patronises us all in, have been logged. These facts show the statement above to be a rare opinion of her.
Another Interview With Fiona
We really are being spoilt this week because hot on the wheels of Fiona Phillip's interview in the TVTimes is another one, this time in the free magazine from the Sunday Mirror. The interview is accompanied by a photo shoot with Fiona wearing some very weird clothes and looking scary. However, it's the interview that is the interesting part for she opens that big mouth of her's and starts to let rip. Here are some highlights:
On Actors
"I've met actors with a superiority complex and they're vile to people they don't need to impress. I can't name names because they might turn up on the sofa again" --- Most people who meet Fiona think it's her with the superiority complex! And maybe it was best just to say nothing at all if you're worried about stars returning to the sofa!
On Former co-presenter Eamonn Holmes
"I don't see Eamonn at all. We got along professionally, but I think Eamonn always wanted it to be his own programme, I think the world of him, but I recon he thought there was a plot to get him out of there, which there wasn't."
Where do we begin with ripping this to shreds? Well to begin with on the same page as Fiona says this is another quote from her, in big letters saying:
"Seeing off Eamonn Holmes from the sofa was a life changing event - I didn't think anyone ever manage that" -
The connotations of that statement seem to suggest that there was a plot, seeing off implies Fiona wanted rid of him, she 'chased' him out as it were. So doesn't that rather contradict her 'there was no plot" stance. But then in the TVTimes interview she said:
"Life's easier now. I still miss him - BUT on the other hand I have skip in my step as I'm coming into work".
So Fiona you miss him but you're so overjoyed when coming into work, as opposed to before, because he's gone. Sounds to me like you're being two-faced again and contradicting yourself. Some things never change.
On Strictly Come Dancing:
"I enjoyed the training but when I went out to perform I realised the rest of them were treating it as a major competition. It was so frightening not being able to dance and knowing all your colleagues can. But it made me really cross this year - they're all crying and saying 'If I go out I'll be devastated. Emma Bunton going back to her day job and getting in a state about it! I never said that."
Going into Strictly Come Dancing wasn't a good idea and Fiona probably agrees. After all us poor television owners have to put up with her on the weekday mornings let alone prime time Saturday evening! But here she slags off poor Emma Bunton who has more charm and talent in her little finger than Fiona will ever have!
Well that's quiet enough from Fiona for now but do keep checking back for updates on this page. We're sure they'll be plenty soon knowing Fiona. And check out the bottom of the page we're we list a few other presents and celeb's who get on our nerves!
Latest FP News: 10 Years at GMTV
The TV Times celebrated Fiona Phillip's 10th anniversary at GMTV with an interview with the derived woman herself. For some reason the TVTimes felt the needed to mark, or indeed celebrated, this occasion for reasons unknown to most people. In the interview Fiona Phillips discussed the highs and lows of her 10 years, for most such nostagalia would be full of low points and the only high points would be when Fiona was absent from the studio.
So what were such highlights? Well meeting Donny Osmond and acting like a pathetic school girl around him was her high point, for most that was cringe tv at its worst, while a low point was Strictly Come Dancing. Apparently Mrs Phillips prefers X-Factor because its real people with real lives.. as opposed to Dancing where the money from the phone calls goes to charity as opposed to fat cats' bank balances.
And it is with the greatest regret that we report that Fiona Phillips has signed a three-year contract with GMTV. So that means another three bloody years with that flaming woman on her screens! Who do we have to thank for this new contract? Her husband maybe who just happens to be very high up in GMTV!
Something to make you laugh, after that depressing piece of news, according to Sir Dennis Norden himself Fiona Phillips is in the T.W.A.T files! We couldn't agree more about that one.
Fiona Close Up:
Why is Fiona Phillips one of the most disliked, if not the most disliked, woman on television? Could it be the fact she says one thing on GMTV, and then another in her cheap rag articles? Could it be that she will be nice to someone while interviewing them, and then slag them off in her tabloid junk? Maybe its the fact she comes out with silly comments at all the wrong times? It might be simply because she asks questions or passes comments to people that are not worth the time of day? Who knows, but from the number of emails, posts on numerous forums and general debate across the UK the evidence proves Fiona is disliked as a person, and more so as a 'presenter.'
Recently a magazine had the headline: "My children BEG me not to go to work" little does Fiona know - being so out of touch with the real world - that the majority of the UK public are hoping she'll not go into work too. The hype around the presenters and the show (ITV have a habit of believing their own hype, which is at times rather amusing as no one but ITV believes it and its nice to see them making fools of themselves) means that these people get a bit of ego problems, think they're popular and think the show is great. Sadly, for them, but amusing for us, its just not true. So enjoy our collection - as made by the general public - of Fiona Phillips moments that make her so loathed.
Fiona Files:
Below is only a handful of Fiona facts, things that make her disliked. If we listed everything gathered and sent to us over the years, we'd have about 30 pages of quotes, so here is a simple selection to illustrate her talentless time on a talentless station - well lets face it any company that brands most of their shows with the same word "Today" is a bit lacking somewhere.
We can't include every Fiona cock-up, that would actually mean having to watch the dire GMTV, so instead we rely on you, who may by accident switch to GMTV, while searching for BBC1 provide us with her finest worst bits.
24th January 2007: Tuneless Mrs. Phillips
Talikng to Billy Bragg today she said 'I've been humming your song 'Shipbuilding' all morning'.
Billy corrects her: 'That's by Elvis Costello' Fiona lays the blame: 'Oh, all the crew told me that was one of yours!" Cue pretended embarrassment from Fiona.
(contributed by Woowookid)
23rd January 2007: Catty-Woman
Fiona Phillips was being extremely catty to Andrew Castle non-stop. He was linking to an item about winter being a time for getting away (holidays), and she said 'are you going away? For good? He said no, and she replied 'shame'. There were other examples. It didn't seem like banter to me, and he appeared at a loss as to how to react. She then continued muttering under her breath at everything he was saying.
(from WatfordKev)
17th January 2007: The National Joke Can't Take One:
Today she was a little bit, as one viewer described "snippy." When Ashley Jenson jokingly suggested that she couldn't have the Beckham's over for dinner because she didn't know if they ate. Fiona, pretending to be friend of all the stars, had a curt respose in her typical anal style: "of course they eat." Funny that Fiona can't take a joke - seen as she is a national one herself.
Is co-host Andew Castle getting a little bored of the queen of chav telly? Newszone loved his comment about 'having to work with a Welsh Witch' everyday. Who could he possibly mean?
26th September 2006: Opinions Of An Unwise Woman:
Fiona decides to do an impression of Cherrie Blair (who apparently called Gordon Brown a liar and was overheard by a respected female journalist) and then follows it with the comments: "I know who I'd believe, and that's Cherrie." So, impartiality thrown out the window at GMTV and secondly she's calling a journalist a liar. On what grounds? Does she know something the rest of us don't? Calling reporters liars.. I wonder how the reporters at GMTV feel about that.
Sorry, I implied that GMTV have professionals working for them, my mistake. If NewsHour is anything to go by, news in GMTV standards is opening titles that look more like a cheap American chat show, with the presenters grinning at us - no news footage features - then a couple of competition strands with faded celebrities, feature reports that appear in the lifestyle programme an hour later and very little in the way of detailed and indepth news reporting.
21th September 2005:
Revealing Too Much:
She just did an interview with Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay about her work for Alzheimer's disease.
Sally was careful to say the reason she got involved was because she had witnessed 'somebody close to her' suffering from Alzheimer's and went on to describe how emotional and distressing the whole era was for her. Fiona then commented, 'Yes, my mother was like that, maybe not as bad as your nan.' Revealing the relation to Sally, whom she had not spoken of at all. Again, the guest did not look impressed.
In the same programme she turned a serious bullying issue into a farse by laughing just as the item was coming to a close. Made the whole serious nature of the debate seem a little demeaned.
19th September 2005:
Ugly Baby?:
Bringing an interview to a close with Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, she asked how is recently born child was doing. After the nice little chit-chat. Charles commented that the said baby would not be making a public appearance at the up-and-coming party conference. To this Fiona decided the best word to describe the news would be "good." If only FP decided not to make public apperances, we'd all give the same answer she did.
16th September 2005:
Show Up Your Co-Presenter:
Today, FP decided to on a whim - or maybe 'she' just didn't bother to think about it, which is the most likely reason - to show up her co-presenter Ben Shepard. Cute Ben, next to the clapped out old trout makes for interesting viewing. Maybe 'she' decided to get her own back on his looks by humiliating him:
Fiona was raving on how great Jessie Wallace looks these days, but without batting an eyelid (or gurning - made a nice change) she told viewers that Ben doesn't think Jessie is good looking at all. This lead to Ben having to try and make excuses, in a very embrarrassed style. Note, this is not the first time such a thing has happened. Viewers tell us she has a habit of showing up co-presenters by seemingly being so thick she can't tell between friendly banter and showing up your co-workers.
12th and 13th September 2005:
Christopher Ain't Impressed:
Christopher Casanove is being interviewed about the current production of My Fair Lady. She came out with a number of incorrect statements about both MFL and Christoper himself and his work. He, thankfully, for the audience watching gave her the most disgusted look. Well done him. This isn't a one-off. I note that she constantly gets her facts wrong when interviewing people.
In the same programme she called co-presenter at GMTV Kate Garraway's wedding a 'shotgun' one.
The following day all professionalisum was yet again thrown out the window as she gushed and loved up Status Quo. Giggling like a little spoilt brat. Cringworthy for the guests and viewers. In the same show, the ultimate reason why this woman should have been left to do nothing more than 'showbiz reports' from America:
A very emotional widower (a young single mother) was constantly being talked over by Fiona. Compassion? Nope, just the usual patronising style and terrible interview technique. This lady had won a chance of having a garden makeover which her late husband had wanted to do to make it a safer place for their young daughter. The husband had only died of Cancer a few months ago. Fiona has no sense of occasion or how the interviewee might be feeling. Useless.
She, we note, also seems to like to slag off soap stars, sadly, this is one of her major two-faced features. As GMTV seems to have more soap star guests in to interview her slagging off which turns into loving the actor/show once they're in the studio is very annoying to viewers. If you can't live by your insults dear, don't say them at all.
During the week of the 5th to 9th September 2005:
Insults From Mrs Perfect:
In typical Fiona 'I'm perfect, so I'll slate anyone I fancy' Phillips made a very rude comment about Carla Romano after an interview by Carla with George Clooney and other Hollywood stars. Once the footage was shown a live link with Carla eventually handed back to London and for no reason and completely uncalled for Fiona made shudder movements, made a twisty face and finally muttered "I'm glad she's gone". Carla however heard it and didn't look impressed.
Later, in the same show, she made it clear she was disgusted at Keith Chegwin's hairy back.
During the week of 29th Aug to 2nd September 2005:
Man Boobs.. ..Comment From One Huge Boob:
The highlight of this week was Fiona grabing Television Critic Richard Arnolds 'man boobs' and then commenting upon the size of them. Yet again, unprofessional, and seemingly using her status as wife of the boss to get away with whatever she darn well likes. Fiona really is the pits of a bad bunch of presenters.
A note from 2003 and earlier:
Fiona was presenting (badly) a segment about models with unusual looks. She was interviewing a one such model about his profession then for no reason suddenly started discussing his private life. She decided upon herself that it must be hard for him to find a partner, and so decided to patronise him with the typical Fiona style: "Never mind, you'll find someone eventually, there's someone out there for everyone."
The fake empathy was clear to even the guest, who simply, like most guests who have the misfortune to be 'interviewed' by her, gave her a facial expression that suggested she should just shut up, as she was clearly bonkers.
Insensitive? After Leeds United supporters were murdered abroad, she decides to blame the British fans, even though all the evidence suggests this was not the case at all. How the victims familes must love her.
Viewers Views Negative:
I doubt any such comments sent to the ITV or GMTV duty office get passed onto Mrs Twofaces, so here are those comments that don't venture beyond the public relations team:
"I am so pleased a site has opened up a place to discuss FP, we are very much entitled to have an opinion on her, because lets face it; she has enough opinions of her own on anything and everyone else. Someone in her job should however engage the brain to think before the mouth speaks. She makes GMTV look foolish. Then again, that doesn't take much doing. Bring back TVAM, it might have been cheap but it did have presenters who could think." - Kerrie
"Her presenting skills are appalling. Her out of place comments, stupid. Fiona is just so unprofessional, she can't interview for toffee" - Gary
"What is all the elbow rubbing about? And how she always seems to be rubbing her hands and pulling faces! Is she suffering from an illness? On and also.. She's an awful opinionated tedious moron. See any random tape of GMTV for proof." - Oz
"Fiona is on holiday. Shame, I was hoping she'd left for good. She keeps suggesting she will, can she make it soon please? Oh and when she leaves ITV can it be with the added proviso that she never appears on any television station ever again!" - Arron
"If Fiona left ITV, there would be a national day of celebrations! Millions of people would be offering her a hand to carry her luggage, just to make sure she really, really was going for good!" - Sean
"Another holiday for Fiona, she is having more and more time off now. IT IS GREAT! Maybe she visited NewsZone and totally realised how unwanted she is. I find her the most irritating person in television history." - Davina
"I saw on a forum people asking where Fiona has gone. This isn't a good idea is it? If we talk about her like that she might think she really is popular. Anyway, I'm so glad that for once someone I dislike has a universal hatred by others." - Wendy
"Who cares where Fiona Philips is, as long as its not on TV, it doesn't matter. She can patronise and talk down to people in the supermarkets as long as we don't have to watch her making an idiot of herself doing it on TV." - Carl
"Everytime Fiona goes on a 'well earned' rest. (Well earned for the viewers who have to endure her because we have no other choice apart from boring news on BBC1 or kids stuff on other channels!) We should just celebrate the fact we don't have to look at her gurning and listen to her stupid and mis-judged comments!" - Paula and Barry
"Credit to the DS forum, I saw these posts and had to share them here knowing how Newszone also dislikes the buffoon FP:
I trapped her under a mug along with the huge spider which dared to invade my living room. With any luck she's been eaten..
..She probably offended the spider with some inappropriate comment and then bored it to death with her unwanted opinions!" (again thanks to posters Lila and Foxychic on DS) ps..She's SO amateur it's unbelievable" - Martin
"A few words for NewsZonE that describe Fiona from personal experience: Patronising, conceited ,obnoxious, snide, sarcastic, smug and arrogant." - an un-named GMTV member of staff
"I'm so pleased that the dire Gossip Making TeleVision has been reconised by others as being terrible. I admit, I watch it. But for only one reason. It reminds me every morning that there are really people out there more useless and stupid than me, and they all present on that show. Best way to start your day, laughing at those gimps." - Faye
"Fiona used to be the Hollywood reporter. She should have stayed there. Has anyone else noticed how sexist she is too?" - Colin
"When it comes down to politics she is totally unprofessional. She doesn't like any compitent presenter would not show any biast, she shows she's a Labour fan everytime - totally not on.
Does anyone recall the time - in the garbage that is The Mirror - her write up about Busted, the ex-boy band who apparently snubbed her at the GMTV studios because they had taste and good sense?
She decided to ask fans of busted to boycot buying there latest album because they had publicly stated they voted Conservative. Fiona seemed to forget that in the UK we are a democracy. How can you trust a presenter to bring all the facts when so often its just the facts she wants to air?" – David
Viewers Views Positive:
Unlike Fiona on the 26th of September 2006, we here at NewsZone like to, where possible give both sides of a story. So below is viewers comments that are in support of Fiona:
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