Regular This Morning viewers were left doing a double take on Friday morning after tuning in expecting to see Alison Hammond — only to find Angela Scanlon sitting in her place.

Alison and Dermot O’Leary are usually the familiar faces who take over hosting duties at the end of the week, giving Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley a break from their Monday-to-Thursday schedule. But when the ITV daytime favourite went live at 10am, fans quickly noticed something was different.

Standing beside Dermot was Irish presenter Angela Scanlon, who appeared to have stepped into the role unexpectedly, leaving viewers wondering what had happened to Alison.

The surprise switch was made even more noticeable because just one day earlier, This Morning had promoted Friday’s programme as another Alison and Dermot-hosted edition. During Thursday’s broadcast, viewers were told that the pair would be chatting with Hollywood star Jason Momoa, while Lorraine Kelly would be reporting live from Boston as Scotland prepared to take on Morocco.Angela Scanlon replaced Alison Hammond at the last minute on FridayCredit: ITV

So when Angela appeared instead, confusion spread almost immediately across social media.

Kicking off the show, Dermot welcomed his temporary co-host with plenty of enthusiasm.

“Welcome to your Friday’s This Morning, and look who’s here — it’s Angela Scanlon, everyone!” he announced.

The studio audience erupted into applause as Dermot jokingly dropped to one knee before praising Angela’s arrival.

“Thank you very much,” Angela replied with a smile.

“It’s nice to have you with us,” Dermot added before greeting her with a hug.

Despite the warm introduction, neither presenter addressed Alison’s absence on air, which only fueled further speculation among viewers watching at home.

Within minutes, fans had taken to social media to share their surprise.

One viewer wrote: “Interesting, seems to be a last-minute substitution.”

They continued: “Haven’t they mentioned several times this week that Jason Momoa would be in the studio with Alison and Dermot?”

Another simply questioned: “No Alison?”

The unexpected change quickly became one of the morning’s biggest talking points, with many viewers wondering whether there had been a last-minute issue behind the scenes.

However, ITV has since confirmed there is no cause for concern.

According to the broadcaster, Alison’s absence was planned in advance, with the presenter taking scheduled leave both on Friday and throughout next week.

While the mystery has now been solved, Angela’s surprise appearance certainly caught viewers off guard — and proved once again that on live television, even the most familiar routines can change without warning.