The Big Breakfast

Of course. I never think of it as a building in a residential area, more a TV set.

Am I right in saying that Denise's last show (first time around) was the pre recorded New Years Day show? If so there was much Johnny & Denise time was there? Aug 1997 - Dec 1998. I always thought that Johnny worked better with Liza Tarbuck.

Yes, they did Sept 1997-Dec 1998, plus a couple of weeks earlier in 1997 when Johnny was a guest host. Her official last show was pre-recorded and went out either New Years Eve or New Years Day, with her last live show on Christmas Eve probably one of the best ever. Of course she then returned for a few months before Johnny left - whether long term that was a wise move I'm not so sure.

When you think about it no partnership lasted particularly long - officially it would be Chris and Gaby but as previously discussed for much of his last year he was part time, so I wouldn't be surprised actually if Gaby did almost as many shows with Mark Little - but again with the job share thing it was never really a partnership. Johnny did six months with Kelly Brook and a year with Liza Tarbuck (she had definately guest hosted before joining permanently, but think that was with the likes of Peter Kay and Phil Jupitus), while Richard and Amanda did about a year at the end but even then the likes of Mike McClean and Lisa Rogers cropped up quite often in their place.

I think individually Johnny Vaughan just beat Gaby Roslin by a couple of weeks as the shows longest serving main presenter.

It is odd looking back on it as it had a lot of change with less than 10 years - nothing in comparison to itv over the past four years, but it's how people remember the show for Chris & Gaby and Johnny & Denise when neither partnership lasted that long.

Both Gaby and Johnny probably don't get enough credit individually for the stability their long stints bought to the show - however much their presenting partners were criticised for not living up to their predecessors the ship was at least steady as long as they remained at the helm.

Indeed of course Johnny actually auditioned with Gaby to present the show and had reportedly turned down the job twice before joining. I suspect had he joined while Gaby was still there he wouldn't have lasted as long and I don't really think they'd have worked as well as a presenting duo.

Who remembers when GMTV's Cordelia Kretzschmar read the news? I think it was only once and she seemed ill-prepared. Maybe she was a last minute stand-in.

In fact the cartoon lasted rather longer than I remembered, because looking at the Radio Times here, they were still showing Sonic The Hedgehog at 7.10 in the autumn of 1994. I think they must have phased it out around that time, though, now you had Power Rangers on GMTV and CBBC on BBC2. Initially it was because they had to appeal to all audiences, of course. Then during the school holidays The Crunch would move to 8.45 with another cartoon during it. That said, I remember around that time This Morning used to show cartoons during the school holidays.

Everyone forgets the big attraction in the early days was The Banana Splits, it featured in the trailers and everything, but it was clearly the kind of thing you enjoy seeing again once and then it totally loses its novelty. I do remember in the very first week Zig and Zag weren't on the Thursday because they did Master Blaster during the Crunch slot instead, but seemingly Zig and Zag were so popular they immediately changed it so they were on every day, with Master Blaster moving to its own slot.

I would suggest that Vaughan does just about overtake Roslin as the longest serving presenter, as you say by a few weeks, though I'm sure Vaughan had more time off.

I can't believe it was that short, I think that is one area where history has rewritten itself. Ask anyone and they'd say Johnny and Denise were on a couple of years.

Considering that clip above which seems a bit wooden, by the time they got into their stride, they were gone.

Indeed, much better here:

One thing I noticed recently looking at some clips, it's that the 2000 'chicken titles' started half way through the year, but the purple graphics, including clock didn't make an appearance until later in the year

What a feature, very of its time, plus Good Morning Britain's Ben Shepherd making an appearance at the end.

Another feature very much of its time. It's like a time capsule of the 90s.

So was it with the 1996 revamp that all cartoons were dropped? It's nice to know that it appealed to all of the family in the early days, where as Johnny & ________ had a more niche market imo.

Those sort of features were brilliant, short, sweet, entertaining, and lots of fun in the morning. Back in the days when technology was simpler, and we didn't need phones to be smart.

Sent from an iPhone