BBC Breakfast

It's good that Breakfast finishes at 10am on Saturdays and it probably would on Sundays as well if it wasn't for MOTD & Andrew Marr. Indeed in the Summer it should run to 10am rather than using that strange 'BBC News Channel' simulcast.

The way they start the next hour as if it's the first as you put it is strange when they promote something in the top of the hour headlines as coming up, even though it only aired a few minutes ago at the end of the previous hour.

To answer that question we have to go back quite a few years. When BBC News 24 first launched in 1997 it would broadcast overnight on BBC One (like it does now on BBC One & Two). In the week BBC Breakfast News would start at 6am on BBC One but of course at weekend there was no BBC Breakfast News so BBC News 24 would tend to run on BBC One until nearer 7am. When News 24 moved into N8 in September/October 1998 a new program called Weekend 24 launched which would broadcast on News 24 & BBC Two from 8-9am usually hosted by David Robertson & Tanya Beckett. Whilst it was branded Weekend 24 it was virtually just a usual hour of News 24 but beefed up a little with a newspaper review with guests and some more quirky stories. When Breakfast launched in 2000 as a seven day a week program I seem to remember that Weekend 24 continued for a short while as a separate program but was essentially the same thing as Breakfast (I think it was kept initially as Weekend 24 was an established brand where as Breakfast was new) so this meant that Weekend 24 moved to 9-10am. Breakfast was also on BBC Two at weekends but would finish just before 9am. When the time came and children's programmes moved over to BBC Two and Breakfast was moved to BBC One they dropped Weekend 24 as a brand and extended Breakfast to cover the 9-10am slot vacated by Weekend 24. This may not be totally accurate but its how I seem to remember it.

Also, can gregmc or anyone else say whether Andrew Marr news come from Salford? I remember it caused lots of discussion and debate when it was mentioned.

Bill was on with Graham Norton this morning on Radio 2, talking about move to Salford. He said that most viewers will not notice difference, talked about the plasma screens being brighter and sharper. Also, he will work with San only on day one of Olympics Breakfast. Talked about his morning routine, dodged any conversation about decision to move to Salford and also about bees! Starting just after 1 hour 30 mins on iplayer.

I'm sure Media Boy can help with that one!

In what way and who?

Firstly, you can't sell something you're renting, and secondly: I think you'll find that people wanting to peddle their latest book, DVD, film or CD will go wherever the free publicity is available.

Salford isn't the back of beyond: in fact you can get to MediaCity within 25 mins from Manchester Airport (which isn't something that can be said about Heathrow or Gatwick to TVC).

That's true. Film/TV stars, writers and musicians will still go to Salford to be on the Breakfast sofa.

It's national politicians, experts (from think tanks or national charities) and BBC news correspondents that they'll struggle to get and we might see more down the line video interviews. Having said that, last time any senior cabinet members were on, they couldn't even be bothered to go to TVC and were in Westminister. So I think we won't notice much on screen.

The new backings look daft. Apart from he arbitrary furniture and bins?? As usual they have plenty of visual cues that they are flat images rather than a real scene behind the presenters. Either make the backings figurative or realistic, again BBC News get caught in the middle. And yes the table was chosen for it's shabbiness.

When I say apart from the arbitrary furniture I mean as well or in addition. I cannot fathom the thought process behind these designs and consequently I find it very difficult to marshal my thorts coherently.

Are you sure they are bins and not plant pots?

Aren't we going round in circles?



Anyway, I'm 100% sure they ARE plant pots, not bins. Unless most bins have plants growing out of them and I'm missing something?

That is true, although many A listers arrive in London and do the "rounds" there. Daybreak, Loose Women, The One Show amongst many others which are all inside the M25 and several prgramme hits can be made in a short time before they fly out again, usually back across the Atlantic. Athough a Salford breakfast will no doubt get guests, it remains to be seen if the A listers that have pushed Breakfast well ahead of Daybreak, will break their London Circus of programmes within easy reach of each other to travel north for a one off appearance. I hope for Breakfasts sake that they will.