Daily Mail: ITV scolded Domino's over Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield tweet

Story from Daily Mail:

The chief executive of ITV complained to Domino's after the pizza maker publicly trolled hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield for jumping the queue for the Queen's lying in state.

Dame Carolyn McCall, addressing the Royal Television Society convention in London on Tuesday, said she scolded the pizza company over its now-viral tweet joking orders may be delayed because 'we've just received an order from Holly and Phil.'

The CEO claimed Domino's thought the tweet was 'funny' and didn't consider the 'impact it would have' on public response or how people would 'start meme-ing it.'

News of her complaint comes as three petitions totalling 91,000 signatures have called for the This Morning hosts to be fired.

Despite the campaigns and outcry on social media, Dame Carolyn said the co-presenters were safe in their jobs and praised their work for the broadcaster.

Programme bosses have stressed the duo attended the queue as members of the media to film a segment for the following Tuesday's show.

Dame Carolyn said she had complained to Domino's Pizza after the company tweeted a satirical post about the This Morning hosts skipping a queue to order one of their pizzas.

'Apologies to anyone waiting on their pizza, we've just received an order from Holly and Phil #ThisMorning,' Domino's tweeted last week.

ITV was seemingly upset by the post, which has been retweeted more than 21,000 times, and contacted the company to demand an explanation.

'We just said to them, "What are you doing?" because we work with Domino's and they said, "We think it is really funny, don't you?" Dame Carolyn recalled.

'They just thought that was funny. They didn't think of the impact that would have on how people would pick it up and start meme-ing it.'

Holly and Phil have been targeted on social media since allegations surfaced that they jumped the public line to pay their respects to Her Majesty in Westminster Hall earlier this month.

Sources also claimed the duo's names were not on the accreditation list when they joined the queue - a claim ITV has adamantly disputed, stressing the pair were authorised to be there.

Speaking at the RTS London Convention, Dame Carolyn was asked what the co-hosts did wrong.

She replied: 'Honestly, nothing. Honestly. They did have accreditation. Lots of people saying they didn't. They were sent by This Morning to do a piece for September 20, which ran.

'They were to interview people inside and outside. They didn't displace anyone in the queue. And they've been very misrepresented, actually.

'And that's why we made a statement. Unusually, we made a statement to say all of those things. But it does show you how things spread and how misinformation just spreads. And it is really horrible for them.'

Dame Carolyn added: 'I think that's what happens with these things which are ... They did not do anything wrong.

'They were with loads of other broadcasters, many of whom you know, and they were with lots of press journalists.'

Confirming the duo are secure in the jobs at This Morning, the CEO added that she had texted both broadcasters and that they were not 'feeling great'.

'It's hard. You imagine yourself in the eye of the storm like this, where you're trying to say you've done nothing wrong and all the noise around you is saying that you have. It's difficult to handle,' she said.

She also dismissed the idea they had been 'cancelled' before adding: 'I think they're highly relevant and still very topical, and I think the majority of their viewers love watching them.

'But there is a very shrill kind of voice against and it will hurt them.'

The CEO's commentary comes as more than 91,000 people have signed petitions calling for the duo to be sacked from their roles.

The Change.org campaigns were started two weeks ago after news of the alleged queue jumping first surfaced.

Laura Harrison - who created the most popular petition 'Axe Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from TV,' which has amassed more than 76,000 signatures - has called for ‘positivity not hostility and negativity’ as her poll continues to soar.

Ms Harrison alleged that the This Morning hosts were 'given privileges that deprived others' as thousands waited in the queue for up to 24 hours to pay their respects.

The campaign also accused the pair of 'exploiting the situation' and using their positions in media to 'cause more harm than good, without people noticing.'

In an update, she said that the petition is 'kind of destroying me’.

She wrote: 'I want to begin the week on a more positive note, and I don’t want to think about the programme anymore. It’s kind of destroying me.

'Words will be twisted, but the intent was always to prevent people being hurt time and time again by these TV shows.

'I’ve asked ITV to deliver any responses relating to this to the public and not to me, as I won’t be following the news, or watching the programme, or sharing anything online, or through social media.

'I want nothing more than for this topic to end. I want positivity, not hostility and negativity. The concerns raised by this have been shared with Ofcom and ITV, and that’s all I can do.'

The other two petitions - titled 'Get Phil and Holly off the television' and 'Sack Holly and Phil and the people that let them queue jump the queue to see the queen' - echoed Ms Harrison's tone, alleging the pair were 'egotistical' and 'lacked manners.'

'They seem to believe that normal manners do not apply to them,' petitioner creator Robert Airey wrote. 'They should no longer be allowed to parade their hypocrisy on TV.'

Jean Whitelaw, another petition author, noted many other celebrities spent hours waiting in line to see the Queen.

Among those who waited their turn in the queue, were David Beckham and even Holly and Phil's ITV colleague Susanna Reid, from GMB.

'David Beckham joined thousands and thousands of people and queued 12 hours to see the queen, Holly Willoughby and Phil Schofield JUMPED THE QUEUE!!!' Whitelaw wrote.

'Who do they think they are? They and the people that let them do it should all be made to apologise for their egotism and then be sacked.

The petitioner alleged the pair 'showed their utter contempt for the ordinary people by jumping the queue to visit the Queen's coffin.'

Holly and Phil have acknowledged the backlash and said they 'understand the reaction' but insist they were at Westminster Hall to work as broadcasters and did not push ahead of the public.

Holly said: 'We were given official permission to access the hall.'

Video showed Holly and Phil walking through the church as around 250,000 people waited to bid a final farewell to the Queen - many waiting up to 24 hours for the opportunity.

'Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were given official permission to access the hall,' Holly argued last week.

'It was strictly for the purposes of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who haven't been able to visit Westminster in person.

'The rules were we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back.

'In contrast, those paying respects walked around a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause.

'None of the journalists or broadcasters there took anyone's place in the queue and no one passed by the Queen.

'We, of course, respected those rules, however, we realise it may have looked like something else.

'Therefore, (we) totally understand the reaction. Please know, that we would never jump a queue.'

Despite their public acknowledgement of the incident, fans still remain unhappy with the explanation given.

Viewers want the This Morning duo to issue a formal apology and many would like them axed altogether.

ITV bosses are said to be considering 'increasing security' for the pair at the upcoming National Television Awards due to the ongoing row.

MailOnline understands Holly and Phil are keen to attend the event on October 13, but bosses are reportedly concerned that the hosts could face booing at the NTAs, where they are among the favourites to scoop another gong.

In light of the 'queue-jumping' row, a source told MailOnline that ITV bosses are aware that the NTAs could pose 'risks' for the pair and will put 'measures' in place on the night, insisting that 'keeping them safe is 100 per cent in the planning'.

Our source said: 'Phil and Holly haven't missed an NTA Awards in years.

'Although they regret any offence people may have felt by what happened at Westminster, they both remain firm in their view they didn't do anything wrong.

'They therefore don't see why they should have to hide away and keep their heads down. ITV are aware that the event will pose risks for the pair though.

'It's the biggest TV Awards of the year and lots of people will be there, including many who might not agree with what Phil and Holly did.

'The scale and nature of the abuse they've received - mainly via social media - has been shocking.

'That's why senior executives will make sure measures are put in place on the night to make sure that Phillip, Holly and the rest of the This Morning team are kept as safe as they can be.'

However, MailOnline has been told that the presenting duo are unlikely to be embarking on their usual marathon drinking sessions after the awards.

In previous years, Holly and Phillip have left viewers in stitches by arriving to host This Morning hungover after the star-studded NTAs.

Our source added: 'Phillip and Holly realise they have to be careful right now so they won't be going out after the Awards and putting themselves into situations which expose them to unnecessary risk.

'The past week or so has been the worst period in Phil and Holly's career. Holly, especially, has found it tough.

'But they are now determined to put this behind them and move on.'

Meantime, the pair continue to be the subject of online abuse as the support for the three petitions grows.

Ms Harrison, creator of the most-supported petition, noted on Monday how with the number of signatures the petition has gained they could nearly fill Wembley stadium. The petition had 70,000 supporters at that time.

She said on Monday: 'In most industries one or two complaints made against staff or their employer, would be enough for their managers to raise concerns and check what happened, for apologies to be made, and in some cases, grievances.

'In precarious gig economy roles, those one or two complaints can cost people their jobs, and if three hundred complained about one or two members of staff, I’m sure it wouldn’t go unnoticed by their managerial board.

'So how is it that in the entertainment industry they can avoid so many people asking for change? 

'It didn’t need to get this far, and I really honestly hoped it wouldn’t.'

She continued: '70,000+ signatures later and I can’t believe it got this far.

'I have expressed my reasons for being concerned, and the harm that I believe these shows recurrently do. I’m so sick of ITV inquiries, and masses of Ofcom reports, but here we are with a different example.

'I have done everything I can to voice the concerns of those that have signed, including writing to Ofcom, and sending a letter to the Board of Directors at ITV. I have also stressed the significant psychological burden these shows place on their viewers and their presenters, and how mentally draining they’ve become.

'This isn’t just a petition about a queue-jump. It’s about the need for change, for hope, for something else than daytime TV and questionable journalism. Daytime TV shows are designed to keep people incarcerated. But people deserve better than that.'