TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has joked that civil servants will have taken fright after Boris Johnson appeared to not know who she was. 

The Prime Minister asked Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid “Who’s Lorraine?” as he appeared on the programme for the first time in nearly five years.

Reid, 51, interviewed Mr Johnson at 10 Downing Street, marking his first appearance on the ITV breakfast show since 2017 when he was foreign secretary.

Johnson fleetingly featured on the show in December 2019 when he walked away from cameras and appeared to hide in an industrial fridge in order to avoid engaging in an interview.

As the robust interview came to an end, Reid referenced ITV’s Lorraine, which airs after GMB, to which Mr Johnson asked: “Who’s Lorraine?”

“Who’s Lorraine? Lorraine is a legend!” Reid fired back.

Speaking as her show started, presenter Lorraine Kelly said: “Wow, thank you Susanna, a masterclass in a political interview, excellent stuff.”

READ MORE: Boris Johnson confronted over cost of living in grilling by GMB's Susanna Reid

Reid went on to tell the Scottish star it had been “fascinating” talking to the Prime Minister, saying: “I’m surprised I haven’t been thrown out, Lorraine. It was remarkable speaking to him.

“Look, it’s been almost five years since Boris Johnson has appeared on Good Morning Britain, and of course just over two of those years he’s been Prime Minister”.

Viewers were quick to get in touch with Kelly to show their support, but the presenter was gracious over the Prime Minuster's apparet ignorance of her career.

Kelly thanked the TV audience for their messages, and said: “Why should he know who I am? He is busy in the morning. He wouldn’t be watching us, although he could learn a lot, as you know.”

She added: “Lots of people have said that he has lost votes. He hasn’t lost votes just because he doesn’t know who I am. But very, very, very funny.

“And lots of you saying that all the civil servants working from home will be going ‘eek’ because they are all watching the show.”

Kelly’s on-screen break came in 1984 when she joined TV-am, and since then, she has become a familiar face on the small screen. She has presented her hugely popular daily talk show Lorraine since 2010.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "I think it was clear the PM wasn’t fully across ITV’s daytime lineup this morning. You’ll appreciate he has a number of issues to deal with on his desk"