ITV’s studios drew praise during the World Cup, but were stormed out by the elements on Thursday to provide testing conditions for Laura Woods and her team.
Laura Woods forced to present in stormy conditions (Image: ITV)
ITV was forced to change the location of its World Cup studio after plans were disrupted due to inclement weather. Laura Woods and her colleagues braved bad weather and moved indoors late in the evening to cover Switzerland’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Presenter Woods, along with Juan Mata, Patrick Vieira and Karen Carney, were forced to deal with inclement weather on the New York set. Woods was forced to brush his hair out during the presentation, and former Spain international Mata’s top was visibly flapping in the wind.
A clicking sound was heard in the background to illustrate the test situation presented. Due to gusty winds, experts sheltered indoors to cover Canada and Qatar and utilized indoor backup options.
Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, US women’s manager Emma Hayes and Bradley Wright-Phillips were able to provide analysis in a safer environment. This was a welcome change, as the situation had threatened to make the program “unwatchable.”
One viewer said: “‘The wind in ITV Studios is funny. It sounds like the place is completely falling apart in the background.'”
Another added: “It’s so funny that people were so excited about being able to watch the World Cup on ITV and now it’s almost too windy to watch.”
“ITV emergency indoor studio horn!” said another viewer. “I feel like the ITV studios are about to be blown away. I’m sure there are better places for presenters to be blown away,” said another member of the audience.
The ITV location received much praise after the BBC decided to lead its coverage from Salford. Broadcasters were keen to highlight their strongholds at the beginning of the tournament.
ITV’s studio has won praise for its location
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“Welcome to our New York loft apartment, home to six weeks of World Cup coverage,” ITV anchor Mark Pugatch said during the first broadcast.
“We hope you love this view as much as we do, of the buildings of Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. You’re probably thinking this must be AI, but I promise it’s real.”
Roy Keane and Ian Wright also expressed their praise. “Wow, that’s amazing,” Keene said.
“It’s an amazing, unbelievable set. This is the World Cup. This is what it should be, it should be epic and huge,” Wright added.
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