This Morning viewers were left fuming at the show's 'pathetic' Christmas special - and went as far as to compare it to a pantomime.

Hosted by main presenters Cat Deeley, 49, and Ben Shephard, 51, alongside Alison Hammond, 50, and Dermot O'Leary, 52, the show aimed to be a festive treat.

It consisted of several segments including an interview with Kate Winslet following the release of her directorial debut on Netflix, Goodbye June, as well as a performance from British rock band The Darkness and naturally a present exchange.  

But unfortunately for This Morning's producers, the festive lineup did not go down well with viewers, who took to social media to share their frustration.

They wrote: 'The CBeebies panto was on yesterday, this is pretty much at that level #ThisMorning.'

'Who knew this pre-recorded cobblers could be a hundred times worse than a live show.' 

Others added: 'To all of you watching ITV, starting with #ThisMorning followed by Loose Women. Save yourselves! Switch over to "That's TV" for back to back jolly Christmas tunes.'

Another viewer said that they hated the show so much that they had to turn it off. 

But while some viewers outright disliked the special, many took umbrage, in particular, with the presenters for pretending that it was a live show. 

Messaging ITV directly, another disgruntled viewer wrote: 'How thick do you think your audience is? [Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women] making out they are all live in the studio on Christmas morning. Pathetic as usual.'

'Are they pretending this is live? #thismorning';

'I presumed it was pre recorded too, shame, would have been much nicer to be live.''

'This is all pre-recorded isn't it, they're actually opening presents like the rest of us. But you absolutely cannot tell it's not, it's a classic trick this "as-live" business #ThisMorning [sic].'

However, not every aspect of the show had a bad reaction on Christmas Day and many viewers were delighted by social media star Florrie Bark, nine, who appeared to share a Christmas message.

The inspirational youngster, who has been battling cancer since she was six, said: 'Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope that wherever you are today, a little bit of Christmas magic finds you and makes you smile. 

'For me, Christmas isn't just about the presents. Though I do love presents, it's about being with people you love, doing our family traditions, even the silly ones, being kind and making memories the sort you wish you could keep in a snow globe forever.'

This Morning viewers praised: 'Florrie is absolutely gorgeous. She has filled my heart with joy today. What a wonderful little girl. Genuine tears in my eyes and my girlfriend's. Thank you Florrie, hope you have a wonderful Christmas #thismorning.';

'This kid on #ThisMorning is an absolute little star.';

'Aww! Florrie is a wee sweetheart. Best thing on the show today #thismorning.' 

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.