Viewers were left aghast after This Morning announced a new twist to its popular Spin to Win game today.
As Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby returned to the ITV show, they revealed that the popular wheel-turning game had a new prize, where the show would cover winning players’ energy bills until the end of the year.
The game, which is a frequent fixture of the show, sees Phil spinning the wheel for the players on the phone. The wheel will stop on their prize, which usually includes lump sums from between £1,000 and £3,000.
But viewers were not happy with the show’s offer to cover four months of energy bills, calling the move ‘dystopian,’ and a reflection of the ‘dire state’ of the cost of living crisis.
This comes as inflation fears are mounting today as gas prices soared again and the Pound slid further – while frontrunner to become PM Liz Truss mulls a £100billion package to freeze energy bills.
As Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby returned to the ITV morning show today, they revealed that the popular wheel-turning game had a new prize, where the show would cover winning players’ energy bills until the end of the year
The show usually offers lumps sums of cash going from £300 to £3,000, but from today, it is offering to cover people’s energy bills as a consequences of the cost of living crisis
Viewers were not happy with the show’s offer to cover four months of energy bill, calling the move ‘dystopian,’ and a reflection of the ‘dire state’ of the cost of living crisis
Phil and Holly casually introduced the game’s new prize during the Spin to Win segment on the show.
‘You can win all kind of great prizes,’ Holly said.
‘This week, we’ve got our usual cash prizes but you can also win some extra cash to pay your energy bills until the end of the year,’ Phil said. ‘That’s four months of energy bills totally taken care of.’
Phil and Holly casually introduced the game’s new prize during the Spin to Win segment on the show
As the game rolled on, a caller called Alex, based in Enfield, won a chance to spin the wheel and won the energy bills. But viewers did not partake in his enthusiasm
‘Wow, that’s really important right now,’ Holly said.
Philip later added that the prize covered around £400 per month, adding to a total of approximately £1,600 for four months.
As the game rolled on, a caller called Alex, based in Enfield, won a chance to spin the wheel.
‘How are your energy bills, are you a bit worried about it all?’ Phil asked him.
‘Oh mate, that’s major. I’ve got one of those pre-payment meters and it’s just absolute murder,’ Alex said.
Eventually, the wheel landed on ‘energy bills,’ which means the show would be covering Alex’s bill until January.
Viewers were not impressed with the segment and said it was ‘patronising’ and reflected the ‘dire’ state of the country
While the player thanked Phil and Holly and said the news was ‘fantastic’ and ‘a relief.’ viewers at home did not partake in Alex’ enthusiasm and said the segment was ‘depressing.’
‘It’s so sad that if you win Spin to Win, they’ll pay your energy bills. It used to be win a holiday the absolute state of things is horrifying ,’ one said.
‘This Morning having ‘energy bills’ as a prize on their Spin To Win is the most dystopian and sad reflection on society right now… How did we get to this point? Madness,’ another wrote.
‘If I won four months of energy bills I’d hang up. For 450 quid I’d tell them to f*** off,’ another said.
‘Well I’ve found this Spin to Win fairly f****** depressing to be fair,’ one wrote.
‘The f****** state this country is in when This Morning has put them “paying 4 months of energy bills” as a spin the wheel prize. Jesus Christ,’ another said.
This comes as wholesale gas prices soared again this morning by around 30 per cent, following Russia’s decision to shut down a key gas pipeline.
The pound also briefly slipped to a 37-year low against the US dollar, heaping extra costs on many of commodities and imports.
Chancellor-in-waiting Kwasi Kwarteng has already been scrambling to reassure markets that although government borrowing will be ‘looser’ it will remain ‘responsible’. Ms Truss has also promised a wave of tax cuts aimed at boosting economic growth.
Ms Truss told the BBC yesterday that she will reveal fresh supports for struggling households within a week, but refused to spell out details.
‘Before you have been elected as prime minister, you don’t have all the wherewithal to get the things done,’ she told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
‘This is why it will take a week to sort out the precise plans and make sure we are able to announce them. That is why I cannot go into details at this stage. It would be wrong.’
The increase comes after a last-minute decision by Russia’s state-backed energy firm Gazprom to block the reopening of the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe.
The UK natural gas price was at £4.96 per therm this morning, up 86p or 21 per cent. At the start of 2021 it was at just 40p per therm. The price touched £7 per therm last week.
And the leading European benchmark Dutch TTF October gas contract rose by €62 (£52.53), or 30 per cent, to €272 per megawatt hours (MWh) by about 7.30am today, reversing losses seen last week.
Nord Stream 1 is the biggest gas link from Russia to Europe, supplying around 55billion cubic metres per year.
While the UK receives only 4 per cent of its gas from Nord Stream 1, other countries such as Germany are much more reliant on the pipeline, meaning its closure is causing prices to spike on international energy markets.
The move has raised fears factories could be forced to adopt a four-day working week to conserve energy. No date has yet been set for when Nord Stream 1 will be reopened.
FEMAIL has contacted ITV for comment.
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