Good Morning Britain seems to be making a habit of including arachnid co-stars, with tarantulas making an appearance, for the second time this week.
But for some, starting their day with a hairy spider on their TV screen was less than ideal.
Read more: Piers Morgan defies doctor’s orders to return to work after surgery
Thursday’s spider guest was there for Strictly Come Dancing Star, James Jordan, who let himself be talked into holding one in an attempt to conquer his arachnophobia.
While visibly nervous to handle the spider, Jordan stood strong, admitting that the creature seemed gentle.
“It did help having my dad round last night,” Jordan quipped, “and he told me I was a wuss.”
Also facing her fear of spiders was mother of three, Michelle, who handled a house spider – letting it have a run up and down her arm.
Jordan successfully kept hold of the tarantula for one minute, and seemed elated to have managed it, but not all viewers were as happy.
They expressed their upset with the show for featuring a spider segment again.
“Sitting with my feet off the floor in the @GMB gallery after that #spider item! #scared,” said one viewer
While others insisted it was enough to make them stop watching. “Rapidly turning off @GMB due to long close up shots of a house spider.”
From putting people off their morning coffee, to making them realise they may be more arachnophobic than they’d realised, people were not impressed.
“@GMB couldn’t drink my coffee with that blooming great spider on t.v made me go cold”
“Ok..didn’t think I had a spider phobia but currently hiding behind a pillow so thanks for that! 😨🙈🕷#buttocksclenched,” added another.
While the guests of Good Morning Britain were given support in their attempt to face their fears, in the form of life coach and fear expert, Pete Cohen, viewers had to face it alone.
This comes just after host Susanna Reid was left terrified by another tarantula on the set of the morning show. The eight-legged creature was on the show in a bid to help viewers face up to their arachnophobia, ahead of the autumn months.
Reid admitted to being “not particularly keen” on spiders herself, calmly approaching the spider, as it was housed in a secure, transparent cage.
But the segment went awry when co-host Piers Morgan began to talk about opening the box: “Hold on, can we get in there,” he asked, causing Reid to rush to the other side of the studio.
“You’re not allowed to,” Reid insisted, while Piers continued to approach the spider’s perspex box.
“Is it going to kill me or not?” he asked.
Read more: Susanna Reid bolts off set after spider incident
September and October see an increase in spiders heading indoors to escape the cold, and for those with a phobia, can be a stressful time of year. ITV seem keen to prepare viewers as much as possible.
Perhaps, until ITV moves on to a new theme, viewers should engage in some deep breathing before turning on their TVs in the morning.