James Martin made a huge announcement during his New Year’s Day special on Thursday morning

James Martin has revealed a huge change to his Saturday morning show amid ITV’s ongoing shake-up. The beloved chef returned to screens for a New Year’s Day special on ITV1, where he celebrated the dawn of 2026 at his home in the Hampshire countryside.

During the episode, James was joined by chefs Sally Abe and John Hooker, alongside former England rugby player and Strictly Come Dancing star Chris Robshaw.

At the end of the programme, James announced that Saturday Morning will air in a new “super-sized” time slot from this weekend (January 3). The show has been extended by 45 minutes from 9.30am to 12pm. This comes after several changes to ITV’s daytime line-up.

James said: “That’s all we’ve got time for today. A massive thank you to my guests Sally, John and, of course, the brilliant Chris Robshaw. Thank you very much. We’ll see you back next Saturday morning, where we will be in the new super-sized slot, that’s where we’ll be. An improved show it says on [the autocue].”

James Martin has announced a huge change to his Saturday morning show (Image: ITV)

Gesturing to John beside him, James then joked: “Don’t worry, you’ll be invited back!”

He added: “But until then, enjoy the rest of your day. Happy New Year’s Day everyone, bye for now!”

Elsewhere on James’ New Year’s special, the chef made his guests a delicious steak sandwich with a triple layer of onions, mustard mayonnaise and a salsa verde.

He also hosted a masterclass on how to make a mouth-watering sticky toffee yule log, while John treated viewers to a monkfish recipe and Sally made an egg dish with mushrooms.

The changes to James Martin’s Saturday Morning come after ITV announced a big change to its daytime programming last year, with This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and Good Morning Britain all affected by the decision.

ITV has announced changes to its daytime line-up (Image: ITV)

Starting this month, the shows will be broadcast from a new location in central London and will operate on an updated airing schedule. The shake-up will see Loose Women reverting to its previous slot of 12.30pm until 1.30pm on a 30-week “seasonal basis”.

Lorraine will also move to a 30-week schedule with episodes running from 9.30am until 10am, while This Morning will continue to air from 10am until 12.30pm.

The running time for Good Morning Britain will be increased by 30 minutes for each episode, running from 6am until 9.30am. These episodes will be extended by a further 30 minutes when Lorraine isn’t on air.

As part of the cost-cutting measures, at least 220 people have lost their jobs. A source said: “It’s terribly sad for the whole team. There are staff who have worked for ITV Daytime for years – from GMTV to Daybreak to GMB – also on Lorraine, Loose Women and This Morning… Many people who weren’t ready to leave yet are saying goodbye forever.”

James Martin’s Saturday Morning is available to stream on ITVX