BBC Breakfast

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File:BBC Breakfast.png
The BBC Breakfast titles introduced in May 2006.

BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme broadcast on BBC One and BBC News 24. It is presented live from Television Centre in White City, west London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items. The programme is on-air seven days a week, every week of the year, with programmes at weekends and public holidays presented from the BBC News 24 set. [1]

Background

File:BreakfastOpening.jpg
Dermot Murnaghan and Sian Williams presenting Breakfast (May 2006)

Breakfast launched on 2 October 2000 as a joint operation between BBC One and BBC News 24. Before 2000, BBC One and News 24 each had their own news programme at this time. From October 2000, Breakfast was simulcast entirely on both BBC One and News 24. As of April 2006, however, News 24 runs independently from 08:30 onwards, when the tone on Breakfast shifts to arts, entertainment and cultural items including big name interviews which in 2006 have included Gene Pitney (shortly before his death), Reese Witherspoon and Cybill Shepherd. The BBC One programme finishes at 09:15, but has been extended to 09:30 for special outside broadcasts on a number of occasions [2]

Breakfast was the replacement for BBC One's Breakfast News which had started in 1989. This programme had had many presenters over the years, including Nicholas Witchell, Lawrie Mayer, Sophie Raworth, Justin Webb, Juliet Morris, Liz MacKean, Fiona Bruce, Paul Burden, Sara Coburn, Jeremy Bowen, Michael Peschardt, Jon Sopel, Andrew Harvey, Noel Thompson and the late Jill Dando. News 24's presenters at this time had included Sarah Montague and Moira Stuart.

Before 1989, the programme was known as Breakfast Time. Its presenters included Frank Bough, Kirsty Wark, John Stapleton, Selina Scott, Jeremy Paxman and Sally Magnusson.

The current editor of the programme is David Kermode. [3] The programme celebrated its 20th anniversary on 17 January 2003 [4]

Today

File:BBC Breakfast 2006 set.jpg
The background image used on the large screens was changed following complaints that the cloud backdrop was too cold, and also showed up any faults between the screens.

The current look on Breakfast was brought in with the general relaunch of news on BBC One on May 2 2006. There is no longer a separate newsreader for the news summaries and the studio is fitted with large video walls, known as Barco screens providing different backdrops, graphics and still photographs.

Main presenters

The programme has four main presenters:

However, at present the presenter rota is a little complicated as both female presenters are on maternity leave.

Currently, Dermot Murnaghan presents the programme on Monday to Thursday alongside Kate Silverton, who is standing in for Sian Williams during her maternity leave. Bill Turnbull presents the programme on Friday-Sunday and when Murnaghan is away. His co-presenter at weekends is Susanna Reid, who is covering Husain's leave.

Charlie Stayt and Louise Minchin also present weekend editions of the programme when the usual presenters are absent. Julia George is another occasional stand-in, while BBC Sydney correspondent Michael Peschardt fills in during the summer when other presenters are on holiday.

As well as presenting from the studio, the main presenters are often called upon to present on location when big stories break. Bill Turnbull presented live editions of Breakfast from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and also from King's Cross in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings in London. Sian Williams reported live from the scene of the Indian earthquake in 2005. Dermot Murnaghan anchored Breakfast's coverage of the 2004 US Presidential election from Washington.

Sport

The main Sport presenters are Chris Hollins (who presents each Monday-Thursday and occasional Fridays), Sue Thearle (presents most Fridays and occasionally at weekends, currently on maternity leave) and Mike Bushell (presents at weekends, and occasionally during the week). Sport updates are at 06.10, 06.35, 07.35 and 08.35.

Business

Breakfast's business presenter is Declan Curry, who presents business updates at 06.10, 06.25, 06.50, 07.25, 07.55 and 08.25. During his absence the role is usually filled by Working Lunch presenter Paddy O'Connell.

Weather

The main weather presenters are Carol Kirkwood, Helen Willetts (both of whom present on Mondays-Thursdays on alternate fortnights), Louise Lear and Matt Taylor (who both present on Fridays and weekends). The weather is broadcast at 15 and 45 minutes past each hour throughout the programme. On weekdays the weather is normally presented from the Blue Peter Garden, from the roof of Television Centre or out on location, often when the weather is in the news, including the 2006 drought in southern England.

Reporters

The programme has a team of reporters permanently assigned to Breakfast. They cover a range of stories nationally and internationally including the 2004 hurricane in Grenada[1] and the 2004 tsunami [2].

In 2006, the dedicated team includes Julia George (known as Julia Botfield until her marriage in August 2006).[3], Sarah Campbell[4] and Graham Satchell[5]

Reporters work on outside broadcasts at home and abroad presenting live interviews, and coverage from news and feature stories. They're also reporters on news stories and features providing the voice or commentary to a video taped report - although many of these stories are now edited and transmitted using digital technology .

Several other reporters cover specialist areas, and they work for all BBC News programmes. Reeta Chakrabarti is the programme's main political correspondent, and Tim Muffett is an overnight reporter covering a cross-section of breaking news stories.

Video podcast

In September 2006, Breakfast launched its own video podcast called the 'Breakfast Takeaway'. BBC Television News had already launched three other services from Newsnight the Ten O'Clock News and a bespoke service called STORYFix which also has a television version broadcast at the weekend on News 24. [6] The Breakfast takeaway is available Monday to Friday in MP4 format. It can also be downloaded to and viewed from a home or office computer.

Specials

In 2003, the Breakfast production team was commissioned by BBC One to make a week long series called The Day Team From Chatsworth presented by Nicki Chapman, and presenter of the BBC's Countryfile programme, John Craven. It took a behind the scenes look at the stately home Chatsworth House [5] and was broadcast separately on BBC One at 1030 in the morning.

From 0830, when Breakfast is only transmitted live on BBC One, the tone of the programme shifts. There is a sports bulletin followed by between three and five items that are mainly arts, entertainment or cultural in nature and in 2006, have included interviews with Halle Berry[7], Sir Michael Caine [8] and Reese Witherspoon [9]. This provides a link to the daytime schedule, via the daytime controller and BBC One Controller Peter Fincham.

The relationship between the three BBC departments: television news programmes, daytime and the BBC One controller has led to a number of guest, or celebrity presenters being used on Breakfast to present themed days or weeks, even though some have never been mainstream news reporters or presenters. Many of these have seen the programme extended to 0930:

Former presenters

Awards

  • In March 2006, Breakfast won the TRIC (the Television and Radio Industry Club) award for best daytime television programme for the third year in a row [6]

Spoofs

See also

References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/2988286.stm
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/3463461.stm
  3. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/davidkermode.shtml
  4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/2665859.stm
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/3189908.stm
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/4783360.stm

External links

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