Channel 4's The Steph Show - hosted by former BBC Breakfast presenter Steph McGovern is to be 'temporarily' halted.

McGovern was originally due to host her daily lunchtime programme The Steph Show from a studio in Leeds, but instead launched it from her living room in Harrogate, Yorkshire, because of the coronavirus crisis.

Channel 4 also brought the air date forward, saying it hoped it would bring some positivity into the lives of viewers.

However, McGovern has since confirmed that the show will be paused from Thursday, May 7 to “give my family our home back”, until it is safe to film in the studio as intended.

Why has Channel 4 'temporarily' taken The Steph Show off air?

The channel's director of programmes has explained the decision to take the show off air, saying the broadcaster has “stretched the patience of the neighbours long enough”.

Speaking during a controller session at the Edinburgh TV Festival, which is taking place online this year, Ian Katz said: “We were due to start the show in mid-to-late April.

“When the crisis really intensified it was pretty clear we were not going to be able to make the show we intended to make, which was with a big audience in a studio in Leeds and with lots of activities like cooking and co-hosts and all sorts of things that were never going to be possible.

“It was also clear Steph was a perfect presenter for this crisis, she has got the warmth and journalistic skills to speak to different aspects of what was going on and was uniquely able to get at that hankering that people had for some positivitity and celebration of some of the good things that are emerging out of this, so we felt it was a real priority to get that show up early.”

He added: “I am super proud we got it up and running, I can’t think of anyone else who could broadcast for six consecutive weeks live from their kitchen with a young baby, it’s phenomenal achievement.

“In the end I think we have stretched the patience of the neighbours a bit too far, so we have had to take it off for a while and our decision is just to say we want to wait now until we can get into the studio and produce the show we intended to produce.”