Yay! The Loose women are back from their holidays and back on our screens. I’ve been looking forward to their return ever since they said goodbye for their one month sabbatical so I was ready at 12:30pm on Monday to welcome them back with open arms.

But it quickly became obvious something had changed. The theme music was different. And the logo. Not dramatically so but different nonetheless.

Then the set roved into view. I’d been wondering what colour it’d be this time, as they usually have a little change over the summer, most of the same décor in a new hue.

But this was more than a little change. In fact a terrible accident seemed to have befallen the set. Evidently during the break it had been stored unadvisedly close to a paint factory, which had suffered an explosion in the pastels section, irreversibly staining the Loose Women backdrop in wild blotches of pink, powder blue and lilac.

Someone has manfully tried to cover it all up with some white glass stuff cut into shapes they assume women will appreciate. Sadly it’s all too twee and stereotypical ‘girlie girl’- handbags, lipstick and butterfly patterns…excuse me… *mini-sick*. These aren’t things that represent our strong, opinionated, sophisticated Loose Ladies…are they?!

Carol, Lisa, Denise and Sherrie

Luckily the set isn’t the main draw and the Loose Women are still on form, albeit looking somewhat embarrassed at having to warn every guest to ‘mind themselves on the plexiglass’ as they come on, prompting John Barrowman to pretend he’d poked himself in the eye with the corner of a glass handbag.

The desk has also changed and is a peculiar shape, tapering at the front into a point which also looks a bit hazardous.

The whole programme has the impression of one which has been altered in tiny, fairly insignificant ways, just for the sake of changing it. It looks new but the content is identical. Different yet ultimately exactly the same.

Presumably these things are supposed to push up the viewing figures, which were said to be flagging last year. They go hand in hand with the sacking of poor Kate Thornton and Zoe Tyler and the introduction of Carol Vorderperson as the new anchor.

All the changes (including Carol V…although she’s not doing too badly to be fair) are irritating and pointless. For the real fans like me the silly set and loss of old presenters is a shame and spoils it just a little bit. As for anyone else they were hoping to attract, I doubt it will be different enough to tempt them if they weren’t keen before.

So all this effort has been a waste and jobs lost for nothing. Poor Kate Thornton.