Janet Street-Porter, Prue Leith, Lesley Joseph and Gloria Hunniford for Loose Women special

Loose Women has today announced that it will air a ‘This is 70+’ edition…

The special episode of the ITV1 / STV daytime show will see Janet Street-Porter, Prue Leith, Lesley Joseph and Gloria Hunniford come together for the special in the year that ITV turns 70.

The four powerhouse panellists – who are all in their 70s and 80s – will discuss everything from fashion to friendships in your 70s and beyond, as well as sharing the valuable life lessons they’ve learnt along the way, on Tuesday 28th January, from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

In a new promo released today, Janet says: “Join us as we say happy 70th birthday ITV! And meet Loose Women’s panel of ‘power-agers’.” Making her Loose Women panel debut, Prue adds: “Our 70 plus squad is here… Sharing some life lessons we’ve picked up along the way.”

In another clip, friend of the show Lesley tells viewers: “I feel so much freer now I’m older” before jokingly adding in the promo: “We’ll reveal our secrets to ageing dis-gracefully!”

Ahead of the episode, Loose Women editor Sally Shelford notes:

“For 25 years Loose Women has mirrored the lives of those watching at home, with our wonderful panellists sharing their own experiences and leading the conversation on the topics that mean the most to our viewers.

“In ITV’s 70th year, we’re delighted to welcome Lesley and Prue to join Janet and Gloria on the panel for this very special show, shining a spotlight on important issues and celebrating what it means to be 70 and 80 today. With an unrivalled wealth of experience and life stories, there will be amazing anecdotes, heartfelt advice and lots of laughs along the way.”

Noele Gordon as an executive and presenter pioneered daytime programming in the UK in the 1950s

Daytime programmes were part of ITV at the very start of its transmissions seventy years ago in September 1955 with two companies initially broadcasting – ATV London and Rediffusion Television. The first daytime programme on ITV was a Saturday magazine show similar to This Morning, entitled The Weekend Show which had been devised by ITV’s first female executive Noele Gordon and was hosted by Daphne Anderson and David Stoll.

TV Times synopsis “Your family magazine. Introduced by Daphne Anderson and David Stoll with The Middlings, Raymond Bishop’s Advice for your garden, Gadgeting with Gilbert, Ruth Morgan in her kitchen, Warm in the Cold, Music in Camera. A guest to entertain you. This week’s competition.”

However, while ratings were fine, the television regulator of the time – the ITA – had advertising quotas, and ITV decided to extend their late afternoon schedules to make more money in the later slots than daytime could offer, yes in those days both the BBC and ITV went off air for several hours in the afternoon!

Morning programmes wouldn’t resume until regional attempts in 1977 by Tyne Tees for the North East ITV and Yorkshire TV offering a mix of news, classic soap operas and films. In 1983 ITV gained its first network breakfast offering with TV-am and in 1988 a full morning of entertainment was offered with quiz shows, discussion series The Time, The Place and the ‘Teflon of daytime television’ This Morning.