BBC Breakfast is a national British morning television news programme
simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from
MediaCityUK and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and
feature items. The programme is broadcast seven days a week, every week
of the year, including weekends and public holidays.
Adam Bullimore is the editor. He had been the deputy editor for five years.
Alison Ford, previously the UK Editor for BBC Newsgathering, was the editor of
the programme until her death in July 2013. Her appointment followed the
departure of David Kermode to 5 News. History
Breakfast Time was the first BBC breakfast programme, with Ron Neil as
producer. It was conceived in response to the plans of the commercial
television company TV-am to introduce a breakfast television show. Breakfast
Time's first broadcast was on 17 January 1983, featuring multiple presenters:
Frank Bough, Selina Scott, Nick Ross and Russell Grant. The atmosphere of the set
was intended to encourage a relaxed informality; a set that mimicked a
living-room rather than a studio, with red leather sofas, and Bough and Ross
wearing jumpers and open-necked shirts. This allowed for an unconventional mix
of authoritative and highbrow news and informative and entertainment features
that made the show dominate the new genre and trounce the anticipated threat
by the star-name commercial TV rival. So, a senior government minister might
be subjected to intense questioning while sitting on the red sofa, to be
then included in the presentation of a food cooking demonstration. Breakfast
Time lasted 150 minutes, initially being transmitted between 6.30 am and 9
am—moving to a 6.50 am to 9.20 am slot on 18 February 1985.
A bomb detonated at 2:54 a.m. on 12 October in the Grand Hotel, Brighton,
with the purpose to kill Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who
were staying at the hotel for the Conservative Party conference. Nick Ross
presented Breakfast Time on his own, as live coverage came in from Brighton.
Ron Neil departed from the programme and on 10 November 1986 a more conventional
news focus was introduced featuring a news desk, presenters in smart dress and
a time-reduced programme broadcast that began at 7 am and ended any time between
8.30 am and 8.55 am. Presenters included Kirsty Wark, John Stapleton, Jeremy
Paxman and Sally Magnusson. On 2 October 1989, the programme was
renamed Breakfast News, followed a more authoritative tone with a set modelled
on the conventional desk style found with main news bulletins, and started at
6.30 am. A considerable portion of the first half hour was devoted to business
news. In January 1993, the business news coverage extended to an hour-long
programme in its own right, beginning at 6:00 am. Breakfast News started at 7:00
am. Next came the merging of the separate
programmes of BBC One and BBC News 24 into one single simulcast starting from
2 October 2000. Since April 2006, the BBC News channel
has screened rolling news coverage from 8.30 am while Breakfast continues on BBC
One until 9.15 am. In April 2008, BBC News 24 was renamed "BBC News", as part
of a £550,000 rebranding of the BBC's news output, complete with a new studio
and presentation. On 2 May 2006, Breakfast moved into
studio N6 at Television Centre with other BBC One news programmes that
required a larger set design that included walls of Barco video screens.
The original screen scenes of cirrus clouds on a blue sky were changed as a
result of viewer comments that 'it looked too cold' – their replacement was
with orange squares of the same design as those appearing in the programme's
new title sequence, which were designed to hide any joins or faults between the
screens which had previously been obvious. The screens eventually
displayed visuals needed for story content: different backgrounds, graphics
and still photographs. More importantly, the set had a generic visual style that
could be used for other programmes, such as the national news bulletins, without
much additional physical change. The programme celebrated its 20th
anniversary on 17 January 2003. On 28 January 2008, Breakfast returned
to the TC7 studios, where Breakfast Time had been based following its move from
the BBC Lime Grove Studios. On 2 March 2009, Breakfast relaunched with a new
set and studio background. The backdrop resembles that of the BBC News channel
as do the new Breakfast titles. In July 2010, the BBC announced that
Breakfast was moving to their new studios in Salford Quays. The BBC
announced that with the April 2012 move to Salford, co-presenter Sian Williams
and sports presenter Chris Hollins preferred not be included in the move to
the North of England. Williams left Breakfast on 15 March 2012, but she
continues doing other assignments with the BBC.
On 12 December 2011, the first of several presenter changes was announced.
Louise Minchin would, with the studio move to Salford, join the other main
presenters of BBC Breakfast: Bill Turnbull, Susanna Reid and Charlie
Stayt. Carol Kirkwood, on 26 March 2012, would remain in London presenting
weather. Sports presenters Mike Bushell and Sally Nugent and business presenter
Steph McGovern would locate to Salford. The first Breakfast edition from Salford
occurred on Tuesday 10 April 2012. London-based newspapers have reported
extensive criticism of the BBC move, but a decrease in audience has not occurred
with the retention of an approximate average of 1.5 million viewers.
The 2012 Summer Olympics prompted Olympic Breakfast on the morning of the
opening ceremony to temporarily broadcast from an interim studio near
the Olympic Park in Stratford. During the games, former presenters Sian
Williams and Chris Hollins also returned to lead the morning programme, in
addition to Bill Turnbull and BBC Sport presenter Hazel Irvine. The show ended
its temporary London return with broadcasting from the BBC News Channel's
studio on the morning following the closing ceremonies before rebroadcasting
from Salford the next day. On 19 March 2013, BBC Breakfast updated
its "lower thirds" to match the graphics and fonts used by the rest of BBC News
since the previous day. The clock was consequently moved to the lower right
side of the screen. On 23 July 2014, the show went on
location again, this time to Glasgow to showcase highlights from the 2014
Commonwealth Games. In the hours leading up to the opening ceremony, Carol
Kirkwood reported from Celtic Park. Format
Between 6am and 8.30am of weekdays, the programme is simulcast on the BBC News.
During the simulcast, the sports news is at 6.10am, 6.35am, 7.35am and 8.35am. In
addition, live sports bulletins are broadcast from sporting locations, such
as Royal Ascot and Wimbledon, with the presenter interviewing key sporting
figures. Business updates are presented at 6.10am, when the main business
stories from the newspapers are also discussed, and at 6.50am, 7.20am and
7.50am, either from the studio, or out on location. The United Kingdom weather
forecasting broadcast is at 15 minutes and 45 minutes past the hour throughout
the programme, either from the BBC Weather Centre in Broadcasting House, or
out on location. Short regional news, travel and weather programmes are just
before the hour and the half hour throughout the programme. Once the BBC
News Channel breaks away for its own programming at 8.30, a brief check of
the headlines, and sports are done then the show gradually shifts to reporting
lifestyle- and entertainment-oriented stories. The show occasionally ends with
a musical performance from one of the guests.
The show is abbreviated during bank holidays to just three hours but still
features regional news updates, and is completely simulcast on the BBC News
Channel. During weekends, there are no updates
from regional news bureaus. The first and/or second hour of the weekend
edition may occasionally feature abbreviated versions of the BBC's other
programmes such as Click, Reporters and the Film Review. The show is also
simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News Channel but BBC one occasionally breaks
away at 7.30 on Sundays to bring Match of the Day. The third and fourth hour
are completely live and occasionally, the last segment on Saturdays may
feature cooking. Interactive
Breakfast encourages viewer response and interaction via e-mail, Facebook and
Twitter. Video reports and interviews from the programme are made available on
the Breakfast Facebook page after transmission.
Notable presenters = Main =
= Sport = = Business =
= Weather = = Former presenters =
Main Sport
Rob Bonnet – sports presenter, 2000–2005 Chris Hollins – sports presenter,
2005–2012; Occasional relief as main presenter
Sue Thearle – sports presenter, 2000–2008
Business Declan Curry – business presenter,
2000–2008 Max Foster – Business presenter and
newsreader, 2001–2005 Aaron Heslehurst – Business presenter,
2008–2010 Simon Jack – Business presenter,
2008–2011 Maryam Moshiri – Business relief
presenter, 2008–2010 Susannah Streeter – Business relief
presenter, 2006–2013 Weather
Isobel Lang – weather presenter, 2000–2006
Louise Lear – weather presenter, 1998–2007
Helen Willetts – weather presenter, 2000–2008
Newsreader Kate Gerbeau – Regular newsreader,
2000–2004 Gillian Joseph – Regular newsreader,
2004–2005 Louisa Preston – Relief newsreader,
2004–2006 Moira Stuart – Regular newsreader,
2000–2006 Suzanne Virdee – Relief newsreader,
2004–2006 Out of studio broadcasts
Presenters make on location broadcasts based on the significance of the story:
11 September 2001. Jeremy Bowen presented live near Ground Zero in New
York City following the days of the aftermath of the tragic events.
November 2004. Dermot Murnaghan presented from Washington DC for the
2004 US Election. 7 July 2005. Bill Turnbull presented
live from King's Cross in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 London bombings.
2005. Sian Williams reported live from the scene of the Indian earthquake.
June 2006. Dermot Murnaghan presented from the election campaign from Bristol.
November 2008. Bill Turnbull reported live from Washington DC for the US
Presidential Elections. On 3 June 2010, Turnbull presented live
from the town of Whitehaven, following the Cumbria shootings the previous day.
September 2009, Kate Silverton presented from Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan.
September 2009. Bill Turnbull presented live from Brighton for the Liberal
Democrats Conference. September 2009. Sian Williams presented
from the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences.
March 2010. Susanna Reid presented from the Academy Awards Ceremony.
6 April 2010. Sian Williams presented from Westminster in the run up to the
announcement of the 2010 General Election.
April/May 2010. Bill Turnbull presented and reported from various locations on
party campaign trail throughout the country.
30 April 2010, Charlie Stayt presented the programme from the University of
Birmingham following the final leaders debate of the election campaign.
12 May 2010. Sian Williams presented the programme from College Green,
Westminster the day after David Cameron became Prime Minister.
12 May 2010. Bill Turnbull presented from outside 10 Downing Street.
27 July 2010. Bill Turnbull presented on the progress of the Olympic Park in
Stratford, East London starting two years before the Opening Ceremony of the
2012 Summer Olympics. Chris Hollins presented the sports news from the same
location. September 2010. Bill Turnbull presented
from their party conference in Liverpool and the Labour Conference in Manchester.
October 2010. Sian Williams presented from the Tory Conference in Birmingham.
October 2010. Sian Williams presented from College Green, Westminster in
anticipation of the unveiling of Chancellor George Osborne spending
review. October 2010. Sian Williams presented
the unveiling of Chancellor George Osborne spending review.
On 29 Apr 2011, a special split edition of the programme with Sian presenting
from Westminster Abbey and Bill live from Buckingham Palace for the build-up
of the Royal Wedding. 26 July 2012. Charlie Stayt and Louise
Minchin presented the show live from the BBC News Studio in Olympic Park in
London for the Olympic Games. Weather and sports news were also originated
from the same location. 17 Apr 2013. Charlie Stayt presented the
show from St Paul's Cathedral, London for a special split edition in the
build-up of the funeral of Baroness Lady Thatcher.
27 & 28 June 2014. Bill Turnbull presented from Camp Bastion to celebrate
Armed Forces Day. 4 August 2014. Charlie Stayt presented
from Glasgow Cathedral in the lead up to ceremonies marking 100 years since World
War 1 broke out. 13 March 2015. Bill Turnbull presented
from St Paul's Cathedral, London in the lead up to a special service of
remembrance to mark the end of operations in Afghanistan.
Video podcast In September 2006, Breakfast launched
its own video podcast called the Breakfast Takeaway. BBC News had already
launched three other services: Newsnight, the Ten O'Clock News and
STORYFix. The Breakfast Takeaway was available Monday to Friday in MP4 format
where it could be downloaded to and viewed from a home or office computer.
The video podcasts were a one-year trial, and from July 2007 they were
discontinued. The BBC then reviewed the trial but the podcast has not been
continued. 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 and was
broadcast separately on BBC One at 1030 in the morning.
A number of other guests, or celebrity presenters have been 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: Alistair Appleton - Tate Modern 2004,
Bath, Somerset 2003 Chris Beardshaw - Chelsea Flower Show
2006 Jennie Bond - Buckingham Palace 2004
Nicki Chapman - Children in Need November 2005, London Fashion Week 2004,
Chelsea Flower Show 2006 Philippa Forrester - Alder Hey
Children's Hospital 2002 Andi Peters - Neighbours set 2005,
EastEnders/Albert Square outside broadcast 2006
Gaby Roslin - Wimbledon Tennis Championships outside broadcast 2002
Tim Wonnacott - Christie's Auction Room 2004
Awards In March 2006, Breakfast won the TRIC
award for best daytime television programme for the third year in a row
The show was nominated for a National Television Award in the Topical Magazine
Programme category in 2011 but lost out to ITV's This Morning
See also Breakfast television
Today References
External links BBC Breakfast at BBC Programmes