Though it has faced controversy over its 25-year run, Loose Women is officially BAFTA-nominated.
The ITV talk show has been nominated in the TV BAFTAs’ Best Daytime Show category, where it will be up against Lorraine, with insiders telling The Sun it’s favourite to scoop the prize.
Panellists Charlene White and Judi Love are being nominated along with Andi Peters and Babatunde Aleshe for their joint episode Loose Women and Men.
It is the first time the show, which began on September 6 1999, has been nominated for a BAFTA.
The nod comes after a Royal Television Society win in 2021 for the programme’s first all-black panel the previous year.
Though it has faced controversy over its 25-year run, Loose Women is officially BAFTA-nominated (pictured: Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Brenda Edwards, and Kéllé Bryan
It is the first time the show, which began on September 6 1999, has been nominated for the honour (pictured: Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Phillippa Kennedy)
Panellists Charlene White and Judi Love are being nominated along with Andi Peters and Babatunde Aleshe for their joint episode Loose Women and Men
Charlene announced the news on Thursday, writing: ‘OMG . . . Me, Babatunde, Judi and Andi are Bafta nominated for Best Daytime show!!!
‘Huge congrats to all the @loosewomen ladies, but especially our production team who hugely deserve this. Proud of the whole lot of us.’
When the first episode aired on September 6, 1999 with Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore, and Karren Brady were on the panel.
It was originally broadcast from Norwich, before moving to Manchester and finally London.
Nadia opened the show, saying: ‘Hello and welcome to Loose Women, the show that lets us women do what we do best . . . no, not that! Don’t let the title fool you, we’re talking talk.’
Looking back over that early footage a few years ago, Nadia laughed and said: ‘I thought I was as fat as anything, then. Look at me.’
Kaye added: ‘Jane is a sex kitten.’
Early topics included office workers worrying about making a fool of themselves at Christmas parties, with Kaye saying: ‘Have they not heard of control?’
Charlene announced the news on Thursday, writing: ‘OMG . . . Me, Babatunde, Judi and Andi are Bafta nominated for Best Daytime show!!!’
The nod comes after a Royal Television Society win in 2021 for the programme’s first all-black panel the previous year (clockwise: Charlene White, Brenda Edwards, Judi Love, Kelle Bryan)
When the first episode aired on September 6, 1999 with Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha (both pictured), Jane Moore, and Karren Brady were on the panel
Ruth Langsford joined in the second episode, and Coleen Nolan (second from right) joined the following year (pictured: Jackie Brambles, Coleen, Carol McGiffin and Denise Welch)
Nadia replied: ‘Yes, we’ve heard of control, we just don’t like it.’
In a pattern that became the hallmark of Loose Women, Nadia then took the hook as a chance to open up on something from her own experience.
She said: ‘When I was having a particularly heavy drinking period in my life, I started to do that.
‘I’d think, ‘Oh I’m not going to go’, because I know I’ll spend three days worrying, thinking about what I’d done.’
Ruth Langsford joined in the second episode, and Coleen Nolan the following year.
Compared to other shows on the television, the average age of the Loose Women panel is higher than when the show launched.
The 1999 were 37 (Kaye Adams), 35 (Nadia Sawalha), 37 (Jane Moore) and 30 (Karren Brady), giving an average age of nearly 35.
Early topics included office workers worrying about making a fool of themselves at Christmas parties, with Kaye saying: ‘Have they not heard of control?’
It was originally broadcast from Norwich, before moving to Manchester and finally London (pictured: Kaye Adams, Coleen Nolan, Carol McGiffin and Denise Welch)
Now, compared to other shows on the television, the average age of the Loose Women panel is higher than when the show launched
Meanwhile, Thursday’s panel of Charlene, 43, Judi, 43, Katie Piper, 40, Denise Welch, 65, gives an average age of nearly 48 – a whopping 13 years older, 24 years later.
There is some fresh blood, though. Love Islander Olivia Attwood, 32, is the latest permanent addition, while viewers also love Stacey Solomon, 34, and Frankie Bridge, 35.
Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page, 47, has fast become a favourite since joining this year, as well as other recent arrivals Sunetra Sarker, 50, Dame Kelly Holmes, 53, and Sophie Morgan, 39.
The show has also incorporated more hard-hitting segments to keep it fresh.
In June 2016, Gloria Hunniford conducted the first interview with Sir Cliff Richard as he returned to the limelight after being accused of sex abuse.
He revealed he had spent more than £1million in legal fees proving his innocence.
Other high-profile interviews have include the Duchess of York, who appeared in November to discuss her breast cancer diagnosis.
And in 2016, Katie Price was joined by her son Harvey to discuss the family’s experience with internet trolls and Harvey infamously said the C word.
There is some fresh blood, though. Love Islander Olivia Attwood (pictured), 32, is the latest permanent addition, while viewers also love Stacey Solomon, 34, and Frankie Bridge, 35
Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page, 47, has fast become a favourite since joining this year, as well as other recent arrivals Sunetra Sarker, 50, Dame Kelly Holmes, 53, (right) and Sophie Morgan, 39
The show has also incorporated more hard-hitting segments to keep it fresh such as high-profile interviews
And in 2016, Katie Price was joined by her son Harvey (both pictured) to discuss the family’s experience with internet trolls and Harvey infamously said the C word
That same year the Women landed a chat with Priscilla Presley, where she revealed Elvis had a huge amount of control over her life.
And in 2018, Simon Cowell sparked conversation for a more wholesome reason, when his son Eric completely upstaged him.
When Simon asked Eric: ‘What’s daddy been drinking today?’ Eric cheekily replied: ‘Annoying juice!’
Loose Women continues to push the envelope, namely when it cast an all-male panel to mark International Men’s Day with Marvin Humes, Ronan Keating, Roman Kemp, and Iain Stirling.
However, it has had its fair share of controversies.
In 2014, when Judy Finnigan shocked audiences when she defended convicted rapist Ched Evans’ potential return to football, insisting he had ‘served his time’.
She added: ‘The rape was not violent, he didn’t cause any bodily harm to the person.’
Then, Janet Street-Porter raised eyebrows in 2015 when she compared a photo of Prince George to a ‘cross-dressing millionaire’.
That same year the Women landed a chat with Priscilla Presley, where she revealed Elvis had a huge amount of control over her life
However, it has had its fair share of controversies, like in 2014, when Judy Finnigan (far left) defended convicted rapist Ched Evans’ potential return to football
However, with this BAFTA nomination, Loose Women will hope to put this all behind them and concentrate on a scandal-free future
Singer Jamelia was apparently dropped from the show in 2017 after she argued plus-size fashion ‘facilitated people living an unhealthy lifestyle’ and then again angered viewers when she criticised women who chose to become mothers later in life.
And EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa blasted the show in 2016 when she claimed her interview contained a line of questioning related to her fiancé’s past relationship, and allegations of abuse and threats, which she had not been briefed about beforehand.
Saira Khan quit in late 2021 and claimed bosses had asked her to make a mould of her vagina and open an OnlyFans account to create content for the show – allegations that ITV denies.
The presenter, who is Muslim, added: ‘It just becomes toxic for women. It’s a show for women but I don’t feel like it empowered me.’
However, with this BAFTA nomination, Loose Women will hope to put this all behind them and concentrate on a scandal-free future.