Daybreak - the launch onwards

Look North (Leeds) more often than not plug one of the BBC LR breakfast shows, often showing a feed from the studio webcam. It previously only ever used to be Radios Leeds and Sheffield, but since Radio York moved to Leeds, they now get to appear too.

Incidentally, I'm sure the Radio Sheffield presenter and producer were having a 'heated discussion' when they cut to them the other day. There was certainly some pointing of fingers going on.

The peak is not after 9am but between 8 and 8.30am, before the school run.

Surely with most primary schools starting around 8:30am, most will have left by 8:10/8:15am - how can that be peak? I would have thought 7:30am - 8:15 would be the peak-ish time. Correct me if I'm wrong

I'm not sure "most" primary schools start at 8.30am, although many secondary schools do nowadays. Anyway, post 8am is certainly the traditional peak viewing time.

The current situation with Daybreak is very similar to when Richard & Judy first moved to Channel 4

(Presenters moved to new unfamilar time slot, initial low ratings, tabloids publishing negative stories every day)

So how did R&J manage to turn it around into a much loved show?

I'd say they had actual husband and wife chemistry, unlike AC and CB who obviously don't. Because it's Breakfast television too, I think it's a different kettle of fish. There are certain elements that are imperative on a Breakfast show (weather, news etc.) whereas 5 o'clock shows could be anything. Paul O'Grady was very different to R&J but both were a success in that time slot.

With Richard and Judy there was the factor that no-one had put a talk show on at that time until then - it was a new genre and it took the public a while to get used to it.

That's not something that can be said with breakfast TV

They didn't do a thing, ITV axed Crossroads and gave them a nice audience increase in 2003. There is an article from 2003 where they celebrate their rise in ratings having done utterly nothing to the format of the show. I don't think the BBC in this case will be meddling with their programmes to help ITV along.

Viewers in the South East might be aware that weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar left BBC South East Today this evening. Polly Evans (South East Today presenter) said on Facebook "We're sorry Dave*, we're sad too. But the lovely Kaddy, Kaye. Lara Lewington & er Michael Fish will be there to brighten up your day. Oh and you'll be able to see her on a rival broadcaster in the mornings" and "National rival David*, in the mornings "

*She was not addressing me.

I don't want to put 2 and 2 together and come up with a racial slur^H^H^H^H 5 but I thought this was worth mentioning.

she's the Lucy Verasamy replacement on Sky News

But no-one watched Crossroads..... if they had it wouldn't have been axed. It was more to do with people not really being used to watching that sort of programme in that slot. Of course it was a trailblazer, with ITV and C4 both following it with talk shows in that slot

It was in 2001-2002 one of ITVs highest rating daytime programmes. It was unfortunate there for they decided to revamp it although why they did that is another story all together. The same one applies to Family Fortunes and anything made by Carlton outside of London. And then the 2003 series failed. I note the Ananova story from Feb 2003. Richard and Judy only months ago faced the axe (winter 2002), however an increase in ratings has secured a new series. The over 2 million viewers ITV had previously had have dipped to under 1 million with a boost to Channel 4.



ITV had a chat show in the 1960s at 4.30/5pm, HI-T, thats just one. I haven't really had time to look but hardly a first for Richard and Judy.