Top 10 Ultra-Awkward Richard Madeley Moments

During his stint on this daytime TV staple, Madeley set riddles for the audience to solve over the break. Although this particular puzzle wasn’t the most straight forward of conundrums, it’s the way in which he conducts himself during this cock-up that makes it so awkward. First off, he tells the studio audience members who got it right that they’re wrong. Then he tells his producer - the one who probably set the question - that they’re wrong too! After he’s proven incorrect, he playfully shrugs it off, much to the room’s amusement.

Madeley often stands in for Piers Morgan on this ITV morning show, but this definitely doesn’t mean that the cringeworthy moments are on pause! In a ‘Hold my beer’ moment, Judy’s other half took the torch of awkwardness from Morgan in spectacular fashion! During an interview with journalist Mark Austin and his daughter about her struggles with anorexia, Austin reveals how he didn’t notice the signs. Completely lacking in tact, Madeley responds by saying if it were his daughter then he would have noticed, leaving both of his guests understandably baffled.

Anyone who’s watched Derren in action knows that there isn’t any fooling him! However, it appears our friend Richard didn’t get the memo, attempting to play the illusionist at his own game. In rather smug and ultra-awkward fashion, he tries to pull the old ‘which hand is the coin in’ trick. Thinking he was being super-smart by pulling the oldest trick in the book, Madeley didn’t actually have it in any of his hands. Unsurprisingly, Derren foiled him straight away though, leaving him with egg on his face and £50 down.

Ah Christmas, what a great time of year to be a child. The presents, the songs, the incoming head of Richard Madeley! In a moment that more resembles an infamous episode of “Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge”, an on-form Madeley, dressed as a wise man during a live nativity sequence, decides to demonstrate the actions of a badly-behaved donkey, by butting heads with an unsuspecting child. Although the kid seems to take it in good spirit, it was a bizarre moment even by Madeley’s unique standards!

King of the embarrassing dads, it is no secret that the irrepressible Richard has a tried and tested talent for being blunt and to the point. His poor daughter Chloe, whom he had already embarrassed countless times in the public eye before – not least on “Loose Women” – could certainly testify to that. As is Richard’s style, this particular GMB moment rests on an unnecessary piece of information that Chloe probably didn’t appreciate her dad blurting out on live TV for the sake of padding out his own narrative. But, it's just classic Madeley!

To another off-the-cuff calamity. During a conversation between GMB co-host Susanna Reid and weather reporter Lucy Verasamy about her denim dress and its potential unsuitability in the rain, Richard chimes in with this highly inappropriate comment. An unsuitable remark for society in general, he goes and gives it out on live TV. And what makes this moment even worse is that his creepy comment was immediately followed by this link. There’s a time and a place, Richard, and that’s never!

This face off with the Tory politician – complete with wandering elephants in the background – was certainly explosive, much like his previous row with Cycling UK spokesperson, Duncan Dollimore. The elephant in the room, however, was Williamson telling Moscow to ‘Go away and shut up’, after Russia denied its involvement in the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack. And so, Madeley’s repeated question was whether or not he regretted these words. In true politician style, Williamson avoided answering the question over and over again, before Madeley boiled over and ruthlessly cut off the entire interview.

Everybody’s favourite pair of TV Geordies are known for making famous people do silly things. Enter, Richard Madeley. Richard was invited to take part in the “Get Out Of Me Ear” section, an especially popular segment on this particularly popular show. For the prank, he was placed in a meeting with a series of photographers, but was told exactly what to do and say by Ant & Dec. Of course, Richard was made to look extremely foolish – which was the idea – but he managed to steal the show, putting on a hilarious performance. He even made up a song about clothes in the process.

This entry is exactly how it sounds. During an already disastrous interview with the singer of “Merry Christmas Everyone”, a very young-looking Richard Madeley was quite literally sprung upon by a hyperactive Shakin’ Stevens, all while the rock band Status Quo watched on. Stevens, who in fairness got some pretty good air from a sitting position, wasn’t done after just one ambush, either. The pair have since met up again on “Richard & Judy” to amicably recall the event, but one has to wonder how genuine that handshake was...

This moment is a benchmark for all things cringe. After being mocked by The Sun newspaper in 2000 for never changing his hairstyle, they came up with a list of possible new looks for him, with one of them being, you guessed it, Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy character, Ali G. In response, Richard comes onto the set, complete with full yellow tracksuit and fake goatee, not just looking like Ali G, but speaking like him as well. Of course, Judy was mortified, safe in the knowledge that this moment would go down in British tele history.