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Reminiscing The Big Breakfast

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AN
Andrew Founding member
This quote from Rick Edwards shows the influence it had on a generation of presenters too:
Quote:
The Big Breakfast: it made me want to be a presenter. I watched Johnny Vaughan and knew I wanted to be as good as him. It was such a fun, lively, intimate show. You felt as if you were part of something. My first ever gig in TV was working on [Channel 4’s] RI:SE – an extremely pale imitation. My excitement to be there quickly wore off when I realised everyone hated it and it wasn’t very good. RI:SE was not worth getting up that early for, but the Big Breakfast would have been.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/13/rick-edwards-i-was-offered-the-role-of-an-unhappy-peruvian-husband#comment-144517164

I think the quote "you felt as if you were part of something" probably sums up why many of us still remember it quite fondly - even the bad times are kind of owned by the fans.

It must have been a great job to work on as a young person just starting out, although I bet all programmes they worked on in their career thereafter were never as fun. I’m not sure what role each of those two dozen crew members had who were crammed into that front room every morning, but I’m guessing some work was involved at some point and it wasn’t just bringing in the ‘Pun of the Week’ or being sent to the ‘Steps of Woe’. I wonder what they are up to now and if any hold high up jobs in major productions.
WH
Whataday Founding member
It must have been a great job to work on as a young person just starting out, although I bet all programmes they worked on in their career thereafter were never as fun.


On the contrary, Planet 24 were notoriously terrible to work for, particularly people lower down the pecking order.
NG
noggin Founding member

It must have been a great job to work on as a young person just starting out, although I bet all programmes they worked on in their career thereafter were never as fun.


I know some people who speak fondly of the friends they made and the fun they had - but as Whataday has said - Planet 24 were terrible to work for. They had a terrible reputation for exploiting staff - and in some cases offering 'work experience' that was little more than getting people to work for relatively long periods, unpaid...
bilky asko, DE88 and Night Thoughts gave kudos
HC
Hatton Cross
I've also heard from friends who knew people based out of the head office at Marsh Wall, that whilst the building was one of the first of the new breed of glass and steel frame Docklands office buildings, 24hour prods/P24 didn't exactly keep their offices shiny and gleaming.
AN
Andrew Founding member
It must have been a great job to work on as a young person just starting out, although I bet all programmes they worked on in their career thereafter were never as fun.


On the contrary, Planet 24 were notoriously terrible to work for, particularly people lower down the pecking order.

Yes I’ve heard that before as well, they did keep it well hidden on the show that it wasn’t an entirely happy ship
DE
DE88
Actually hadn't heard until now that Planet 24 were terrible to work for, though I can certainly believe it.

Truth be told, it makes it even harder to believe that they also made Watercolour Challenge...

WH
Whataday Founding member
The reason Watercolour Challenge seems an odd fit for Planet 24 is that it was initially the product of Planet Wild, a joint venture with Wild&Fresh Productions, which specialised in more serious programming.

*
JB
JasonB
I can't find it on YouTube anymore but there was a clip which showed Chris take a wander through the back before the days of the Planet 24 building and explained what all the porter cabins were for. He also pointed out one of the doors was numbered "3" and said "i have no idea why" I'd love to see this again if anyone managed to salvage it from YouTube.
JA
james-2001
I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lot of the Big Breakfast technical kit ended up in Riverside when they refurbished for the arrival of CD:UK.
IS
Inspector Sands
I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lot of the Big Breakfast technical kit ended up in Riverside when they refurbished for the arrival of CD:UK.

Yes it did, see section on 'Riverside TV Studios'
http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/old%20bbc%20studios.htm#riverside

It mentions that the sign for Dressing Room 3 went missing in the move which might have something to do with Jason's post, or just be a complete coincidence
JB
JasonB
I seem to remember reading somewhere that a lot of the Big Breakfast technical kit ended up in Riverside when they refurbished for the arrival of CD:UK.

Yes it did, see section on 'Riverside TV Studios'
http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/old%20bbc%20studios.htm#riverside

It mentions that the sign for Dressing Room 3 went missing in the move which might have something to do with Jason's post, or just be a complete coincidence


I did a bit of digging to back up my post above and found this from user CL97 on the old 'A Load of Bow Locks' forums:
Quote:
The '2' thing is a little mysterious (as in, why not 1 or 3, or any other number for that matter). From what I read on the BowLocks House artical, they were originally numbered 1 2 and 3 (3 being closest to the canal).
This YouTube clip from user 'badlydrawnguy' (link at the bottom of this post) shows that the canteen door is number 7. The office is number 5, as Chris mentions and himself doesn't know why. So if these production huts have been numbered, I wonder if the house was part of this numbering system and just so happened to become property 2? Which would beg the question, which of them was more significant than the house to recieve the number 1?
Actually, I've just had a brainwave. Maybey the backstage area of the house, canal-side, was number 1. That would make sense as to why the house was no longer refered to as being number 2 post-96 relaunch, because with the entire house now in complete use as the studio, that would effectively make the numbers 1 & 2 redundant. And the production huts were all gone by this point too, further making the system irrelevant. I'm probably wrong, but I think it's a reasonably solid theory at least. Crikey, I just used an entire fortnights worth of brain power on that!
Anyone know for certain, anything regarding the house number?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIlXWim7ug


As i thought, the video of this no longer exists.
BR
Brekkie
I assumed they went for "2 Lock Keepers Cottages" as the familar view from the front looked like two cottages (even though it was three). We never really saw much of the canal side front door after 1996 - they'd quite often open the show from there in the early years as you'd have a small crowd alongside the lock.

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