ANDREW Neil will take a break from presenting at GB News just two weeks after launching the channel, it has emerged.
The 72-year-old broadcaster, who founded the channel pledging it would not be an “echo chamber”, will be replaced by Colin Brazier for “the next few weeks”.
Former BBC interviewer Neil’s channel has been struck by an array of technical problems for the first few weeks – with sound issues, sudden cuts to the weather and misspelled guests’ names on graphics.
Speaking on his programme last night, Neil told viewers: “That’s it for tonight and from me for the next few weeks.
“But I leave you in the safe and professional hands of Colin Brazier.”
READ MORE: GB News Scottish misspelling sees Neil Oliver broadcasting from ... where?
As he handed over to the Tonight With Dan Wootton host, Neil admitted GB News had a “rocky” start and thanked viewers for sticking with it.
“I’ll be back before the summer is out and when you least expect it,” he said. “So stay tuned.”
He went on: "We’re a start-up, they’re always a bit rocky these start-ups. But we are up and running as you can see, we get better every day and there’s clearly an appetite for what we’re doing.
"And in two short weeks, we’ve already built a loyal audience which has beaten all of our expectations, it’s often bigger than the other news channels and it’s growing.
"That’s the real story about GB News to date and you won’t often read that in the papers.”
As well as being plagued by technical problems, GB News has struggled with advertisers dropping out amid a boycott fear.
After the channel launched on June 13, it took just 48 hours for advertisers to begin withdrawing.
By the following Thursday 11 brands had paused or suspended their advertising, saying they disagreed with the channel’s values or wanted to understand more about its content first.
Neil reacted angrily by saying in return he may ban brands from advertising on the channel, as he did with the Co-op when the firm suggested it was considering no longer placing ads amid a row over an article on transgender rights.
When the Co-op said the statement was wrongly issued, the organisation and magazine agreed a truce.
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