5 snaps up Piers Morgan Uncensored

Piers Morgan Uncensored is returning to linear TV with a weekly highlights show to be aired on 5.

The show previously aired on UK screens on Rupert Murdoch-owned channel TalkTV until last year, before, be the nightly talk show was axed in favour of becoming a YouTube-only proposition. Earlier this year Morgan purchased the rights for the show from Murdoch’s News UK.

Paramount-owned 5 will showcase a 90-minute weekly compilation of best bits of the YouTube channel Piers Morgan Uncensored, in what is claimed to be a world-first collaboration between a YouTube current affairs show and a legacy broadcaster.

Piers Morgan Uncensored boasts more than 4m subscribers on YouTube and positions itself as a “fearless platform for free speech”, featuring high-profile interviews in a mix of journalism, debate and cultural commentary.

The weekly highlights show will be tailored for 5’s audience.

Piers Morgan Uncensored is produced by Morgan’s outfit Wake Up Productions and was commissioned by Federico Ruiz, commissioning editor 5 and Paramount +, with Alex Campbell exec producing.

Ruiz said: “Uncensored will be an excellent fit: our viewers love straight talk, big opinions, and unapologetic personalities – and Piers delivers all three and then some. A linear, terrestrial broadcaster partnering with a current affairs YouTube channel is the sort of exciting cross-cultural handshake that marks where the industry is heading. The fuse is lit. We’re braced for impact … Piers is coming to 5.”

Morgan added: “Piers Morgan Uncensored has become one of the world’s fastest-growing and most popular YouTube news channels, racking up over a billion views in just three years. I’m really excited our show will be crashing onto British TV screens in a game-changing partnership with 5, bringing viewers the most explosive debates, jaw-dropping interviews, and headline-grabbing moments every single week.”

Piers Morgan Uncensored will be available to Watch/stream weekly on 5 from 11pm, Friday 12 September.