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Good Morning Britain smiles better than Daybreak, but is it trying too hard?

By Oliver Jones

Good Morning Britain launched today on ITV replacing Daybreak, the channel’s former breakfast show.

The new breakfast show features four presenters sitting together at a glass table rather than on sofas as in the past.

Good Morning Britain is fronted by Susanna Reid who moved from BBC Breakfast to present the programme. She is reportedly paid around £400,000 a year in her new role (initial reports of a £1m a year package have since been rejected by ITV insiders).

Reid was joined by former Sky presenters Ben Shephard, Sean Fletcher and Charlotte Hawkins.

Initial reactions suggest the programme was an improvement on much-criticised Daybreak.

Daily Telegraph writer Michael Hogan said: “BBC Breakfast might just have a viable rival”.

The presenters hardly stopped smiling on the American-style set. Daily Mirror live-blogger Rob Leigh said: “They’re smiling so much their faces will need planning permission for grinny extensions.”

Independent media editor Ian Burrell wrote: "The overall result, as a commentator on the Radio Times blog noted, was that the show was 'trying too much, too many times for too many people'.

"It was never going to be easy launching into a market where the BBC has such a commanding position and at a time of day when other media have audiences that breakfast television can only dream of.

"As a contributor to the Digital Spy website observed, 'Radio is king in the mornings' and no matter how much Good Morning Britain improves it’s never likely to be able to compete with John Humphrys and the Today programme or Chris Evans on Radio.

There was also some positive reaction on Twitter. One Show presenter Angellica Bell said:

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby:

Viewer Anthony Trythall:

But Sky News presenter Kay Burley was not impressed:

Neither was viewer Jamie Walker:

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