Lockkeeper's Cottages, in Old Ford Lock, used as the studio for The Big Breakfast

The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002. In this time there were a total of 2482 shows produced. In the aftermath of 11 September 2001 attacks, The Big Breakfast was not shown from the September 12 – 14, 2001. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former Boomtown Rat and Live Aid organiser, Bob Geldof. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... This article is about the British television station. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Planet 24 was a television production company. ... The Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats (1975-1985) were a punk rock/new wave group headed by Bob Geldof, who was later known for organizing charity rock concerts such as Band Aid (intended to help famine victims in Ethiopia), Live Aid, Live 8, and Hands Across America (intended to help... Ethiopia, as its borders were in 1985. ... Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof[1], KBE[2], known as Bob Geldof (born 5 October 1951) [3], is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist. ...

The programme, broadcast live from a set of former lockkeeper's cottages(Now a private residence) in Bow in east London,^[1] was a colourful mixed format of news, weather, interviews, audience phone-in and features. The popularity of the show waxed and waned repeatedly over the nine-and-a-half years of its existence - its popularity being closely linked to the spontaneity and humour of the two main presenters at any given time. Bow is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

History

The Big Breakfast was launched in 1992 to replace The Channel Four Daily, which had been Channel 4's unsuccessful first dip into the "breakfast television" market between 1989 and 1992. The Daily's over-analytical focus on current affairs, news bulletins and quiz shows had alienated viewers, and Channel 4 had opted to change direction and work towards a lighter style focusing mainly on entertainment and humour.

The initial two presenters, Chris Evans (presenter from 1992 to 1994) and Gaby Roslin (1992-1996) held reign over what might be the golden era of The Big Breakfast. Evans' zany humour and "touch of arrogance" was new and fresh, Roslin a good foil for him. At its height, viewing figures reached two million. Chris Evans (born April 1, 1966, in Warrington, England) is an English celebrity. ... Gaby Roslin (born July 12, 1964) is a British television presenter. ...

Evans started his own production company and moved onto other projects in 1994. He was replaced by former Neighbours star Mark Little. Little and Roslin presented for two years before Roslin made way for Zoe Ball in 1996. Audience figures slipped a little after Evans left, and a little more after Roslin departed. Mark Little left shortly after and was replaced by Keith Chegwin. To stop the sliding viewing figures, an ill fated relaunch was given to the show, including the refurbished house at a cost of £2million, Ball and Chegwin were replaced by Rick Adams and Sharron Davies, two less accomplished hosts on the small screen. Viewing figures fell dramatically, losing its audience primarily to radio and GMTV. Producers stopped the rot quickly, finding a winning partnership in Johnny Vaughan (who spent 1023.82 hours in front of the cameras) and Denise van Outen. Audience figures jumped back to their peak. Vaughan briefly presented also with Kelly Brook (who was largely unknown at the time) in 1999; however Brook's lack of experience in the field of presenting a TV show clearly showed and audience figures quickly dropped. As a result, Brook was sacked while on holiday from the show (she only found out about losing her job from reading the newspaper while on holiday)^{[citation needed]}. Liza Tarbuck then co-presented for a while but when she decided to leave after eighteen months, Van Outen returned. Viewing figures rose until the pair quit together in 2001. This turned out to be the death knell for the show as viewers did not warm to their replacements, Richard Bacon, Paul Tonkinson, Amanda Byram and Simon Fielder. This article is about an Australian soap opera. ... Mark Little (born October 20, 1959) is an Australian actor, television presenter and comedian. ... Categories: People stubs | 1970 births | British television presenters ... Keith Cheggers Chegwin (born 17 January 1957 in Newbury) is an English television presenter and former child actor and singer. ... DJ Rick with the Slumber Party Girls on CBSs Dance Revolution. ... Sharron Davies, MBE (born November 1, 1962) is one of Britains most successful swimmers ever. ... GMTV (Good Morning Television) is a national British breakfast television station owned by ITV plc (75%) and The Walt Disney Company (25%). It has held the license for the breakfast Channel 3 franchise since 1993, when it outbid the previous 6am-9. ... Johnny Vaughan (born July 16, 1967) is an English writer and broadcaster. ... Denise van Outen (born May 27, 1974) is an English television host and stage actress. ... Kelly Brook (born Kelly Ann Parsons on November 23, 1979) is a British model, actress, and occasional swimwear designer and television presenter. ... Liza Tarbuck (born 21 November 1964, Liverpool, Lancashire,Uk) is an English actress and television presenter, and daughter of Jimmy Tarbuck. ... Richard Bacon (born 30 November 1975) is an English television and radio presenter, currently hosting the drive-time show on Xfm London between 4-7pm Monday to Thursday and 3-6pm on Fridays. ... Paul Tonkinson (nicknamed tonkers) is a popular comedian, radio presenter and television personality from Manchester, England. ... Amanda Byram, host of The Swan Amanda Byram (born 14 December 1973, in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish television personality. ...

Mike McClean and Donna Air joined the show as it converted to a multi-presenter format. This format only lasted for a couple of months though, with the show reverting back to its original format for the final months, with Bacon and Byram as the main presenters before it last aired on 29 March 2002. The last programme included a twenty minute retrospective that included contributions from Evans, Roslin, Vaughan and Van Outen. Both Evans and Vaughan declared the cancelling of the show was a bad idea. The show ended with a tribute from the Princess of Wales before the last Friday song, which paid tribute to the success of the show and its ability to attract celebrities. Mike McClean is a British television presenter and actor, most famous for being a roving reporter on Richard & Judy and The Big Breakfast. ... Donna Air (born August 2, 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is an English television presenter, singer and actress. ...

Mark Lamarr, Keith Chegwin, Paul Ross, Jason Bradbury and Richard Bacon were "down your doorstep" outside broadcasters, often turning up live and unannounced at an unsuspecting viewer's house, while rooms within Lock Keeper's Cottages featured the zany aliens Zig and Zag and video games guru Ben the Boffin. Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones on January 7, 1967 in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English comedian and a presenter on radio and television. ... Keith Cheggers Chegwin (born 17 January 1957 in Newbury) is an English television presenter and former child actor and singer. ... Paul John Ross (born John Ross on December 31, 1956 in Leytonstone, London) is an English journalist, television editor, and media personality. ... Jason Bradbury Jason Bradbury is the UKs best known face of technology and presenter of The Gadget Show which airs on five television. ... Zig and Zag are fictional characters, portrayed by puppets, who made their television début on Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ)s The Den. ...

On the night of December 31st 1999 a mammoth eight-hour live broadcast took place from Lock Keepers' Cottages to herald in the new century. The Biggest Breakfast Ever was hosted by Johnny Vaughan and Liza Tarbuck and featured many classic moments and 'best of' features. Even eight hours of airtime was not enough. The show's producers got Channel 4 to extend its broadcast time by half an hour to fit in the premiere of the competition "Wonga" (a large-scale version of Jenga). The winner of the game had been told to 'stop steadying the stack' on numerous occasions, but was still allowed to play and eventually won £100,000. It was a prize game that returned to the show many times in its final two years, but never again was anyone allowed to blatantly break the rules of the game. Jenga is a game of physical and mental skill, marketed by Hasbro, in which players remove blocks from a tower and put them on top. ...

Owing to the nature of the filming, much of the crew could be seen on screen. This led to them getting nicknames, such as 'Sturdy Girl', (regularly asked to shake her head so that her hair would be hurled around whilst music played and the camera zoomed in and out). 'The Carpet Monster' was revealed in the Doctor Who Special to have been an extra, playing a deadly clown, in the Seventh Doctor story The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ... -1... The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 14, 1988 to January 4, 1989. ...

The show also used gimics such as live weddings to attract viewers. The first one was in 1993. This featured Jamie and Mandy from Catterick in North Yorkshire, who also returned after their honeymoon.

A The Big Breakfast board game was released and also a fruit machine featuring popular games from the show.

RI:SE eventually replaced The Big Breakfast as Channel 4's morning programme, following its axing on the 29th of March 2002, although there was some time between The Big Breakfast ending and RI:SE beginning. RI:SE went on to take increasingly low ratings, and despite undergoing a revamp, was shortly axed. Channel 4 has since not had a studio-based morning programme per se, although a Dermot O'Leary fronted show, Morning Glory (TV series)Morning Glory, was given a short run in early 2006 but not picked up. RI:SE was a breakfast television show on Channel 4 in the UK. It was scheduled after the ratings failure of The Big Breakfast. ... This article is about the British television station. ... This article is about the British television station. ... Sean Dermot Fintan OLeary, Jr. ... This article is about the plant. ... This article is about the plant. ...

Channel 4 have since replaced Morning Glory with Freshly Squeezed which was recommissioned in August 2007 after Big Brother 8 UK. This article is about the plant. ... Sarah Henry, Rick Edwards and George Lamb Freshly Squeezed is a British television programme broadcast on Channel 4 from the 21 August 2006. ...

Main Presenters

• Chris Evans 1992-1994
• Gaby Roslin 1992-1996
• Keith Chegwin 1995-1996
• Mark Little 1994-1996
• Paul Ross 1994-1995
• Richard Orford 1995/1996/1997
• Zoe Ball 1996
• Rick Adams 1996-1997
• Sharron Davies 1996-1997
• Johnny Vaughan 1997-2001
• Denise Van Outen 1997-1998 / 2000-2001
• Kelly Brook 1999
• Liza Tarbuck 1999-2000
• Amanda Byram 2001-2002
• Richard Bacon 2001-2002
• Paul Tonkinson 2001
• Donna Air 2001
• Mike Mclean 2001-2002
• Lisa Rogers 2001-2002

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gaby Roslin (born July 12, 1964) is a British television presenter. ... Keith Cheggers Chegwin (born 17 January 1957 in Newbury) is an English television presenter and former child actor and singer. ... Mark Little (born October 20, 1959) is an Australian actor, television presenter and comedian. ... Paul John Ross (born John Ross on December 31, 1956 in Leytonstone, London) is an English journalist, television editor, and media personality. ... Richard Orford is a British television presenter. ... Categories: People stubs | 1970 births | British television presenters ... There have been at least two notable Rick Adams: For the internet pioneer see Rick Adams (internet pioneer) For the British television presenter see Rick Adams (television presenter) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Sharron Davies, MBE (born November 1, 1962) is one of Britains most successful swimmers ever. ... Johnny Vaughan (born July 16, 1967) is an English writer and broadcaster. ... Denise van Outen (born May 27, 1974) is an English television host and stage actress. ... Kelly Brook (born Kelly Ann Parsons on November 23, 1979) is a British model, actress, and occasional swimwear designer and television presenter. ... Liza Tarbuck (born 21 November 1964, Liverpool, Lancashire,Uk) is an English actress and television presenter, and daughter of Jimmy Tarbuck. ... Amanda Byram, host of The Swan Amanda Byram (born 14 December 1973, in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish television personality. ... Richard Bacon (born 30 November 1975) is an English television and radio presenter, currently hosting the drive-time show on Xfm London between 4-7pm Monday to Thursday and 3-6pm on Fridays. ... Paul Tonkinson (nicknamed tonkers) is a popular comedian, radio presenter and television personality from Manchester, England. ... Donna Air (born August 2, 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is an English television presenter, singer and actress. ... There are a number of people named Michael McLean: Michael McLean, an American composer Michael McLean, a former Australian Football League player Michael McLean, an English professional golfer. ... Lisa Rogers (born 7 September 1971 in Cardiff, Wales) is a British television presenter. ...

Features Presenters

• Bob Geldof 1992 Interviewer
• Paula Yates 1992-1995 On the bed Interviewer
• Zig & Zag 1992-1998 / 2002 The Crunch / Alien Alarm
• Ben The Boffin 1992-1994 Master Blaster
• Lily Savage 1995-1996 On the bed Interviwer
• Vanessa Feltz 1996-1998 On the bed Interviewer

Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof[1], KBE[2], known as Bob Geldof (born 5 October 1951) [3], is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist. ... Paula Yates Paula Yates (24 April 1960 - 17 September 2000) was a British television presenter, best known for her work on cult TV music show, The Tube. ... Zig and Zag are fictional characters, portrayed by puppets, who made their television début on Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ)s The Den. ... Lily Savage is a drag act performed by comedian Paul OGrady. ... Vanessa Feltz (born February 21, 1962) is an English journalist and broadcaster. ...

News

• Peter Smith 1992-1996
• Phil Gayle 1996-2000
• Jasmine Lowson 2000-2002

Phil Gayle (born April 6, 1964 in Birmingham, England) is a newsreader, currently working for ITV News. ... This article is considered orphaned, since there are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Games and features

Pun Down

A look at the best puns in the headlines of that day's newspapers, especially popular in the Johnny Vaughan era. On Fridays this became the 'Pun of the Week' when the best pun from the whole weeks newspapers was revealed. Johnny Vaughan (born July 16, 1967) is an English writer and broadcaster. ...

Question About the Clip

Before most advertisement breaks a clip from an upcoming TV show or movie would be shown, a question being asked by one of the hosts about it; the answer would be revealed after the advert break, along with details of the show or film. This feature would result in the production team chorusing "Don't phone, it's just for fun!" which was a Chris Evans creation, initially used on his radio shows before he shot to fame on The Big Breakfast.

Question of the Day

A phone-in feature encouraging viewers to provide humorous answers throughout the morning to a pertinent (or occasionally inane) question. At one point it was accompanied by a fanfare, apparently played on the trumpet by "little Ted" beneath the camera (in fact a member of the team waving a toy trumpet in shot). One morning's question was "What should the BBC do to improve EastEnders?", and one viewer suggested adding Barbara Windsor to the cast; this actually occurred shortly afterwards. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[4] and continuing to date. ... Barbara Ann Deeks MBE (born 6 August 1937), better known as Barbara Windsor, sometimes known as Babs Windsor, is an English actress. ...

Super Hints

"Your indispensable guide to a better life!", this feature appeared during the early years of the show; in it celebrities would give various simple but useful hints for such issues as cleaning or keeping food fresh.

Streaky Bacon

'Streaky Bacon' became a regular feature, in which Richard Bacon would get a member of the public out of their house to 'streak' along their street wearing nothing but bacon-covered underwear in order to win a large supply of bacon from their local butcher.

Vital Statistics

'Vital Statistics' was another common feature, particularly in the Johnny Vaughan era. These would often relate to a news story, a guest or a topic they had discussed, such as Doctor Who on their Doctor Who Special. Johnny Vaughan (born July 16, 1967) is an English writer and broadcaster. ... For other uses, see Doctor Who (disambiguation). ...

On the Bed

A key feature for the first five years was the "On the Bed" interview. Paula Yates (then wife of Bob Geldof, whose company produced the show), and later Paul O'Grady (as Lily Savage) and Vanessa Feltz assumed the role of interviewer. One of the most infamous on-air moments was Paula Yates' open flirting during an interview with Michael Hutchence as a prelude to their affair. Paula Yates Paula Yates (24 April 1960 - 17 September 2000) was a British television presenter, best known for her work on cult TV music show, The Tube. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lily Savage is a drag act performed by comedian Paul OGrady. ... Vanessa Feltz (born February 21, 1962) is an English journalist and broadcaster. ... Michael Kelland John Hutchence (January 22, 1960 – November 22, 1997) was the original lead singer of the Australian rock band INXS. // Hutchence was born in Sydney, son of Kelland (Kell) and Patricia Hutchence, but was subsequently raised in Hong Kong. ...

More Tea, Vicar

A repeating feature in the Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen era, in which an erratically filmed, fast-mo video clip of a line of tea cups is shown to a call in viewer. Vaughan, dressed as an Anglican vicar, and Van Outen, dressed as a nun replete with false teeth and an inferiority complex, then explain the rules. The caller guesses the number of tea cups shown in the video lead in, with Vaughan responding "More tea, vicar" if the number is too low; "Less tea, vicar" if too high. If the contestant guesses the correct number within the time limit, a prize is forthcoming. Van Outen was particularly good in this as the ugly nun who would occasionally speak up only to be shouted down as an abomination by the goodly vicar Vaughan, complete with flashing lights and thunder effects called down from above.

The lyrics to "More Tea, Vicar" were as follows:

More tea, vicar

More tea, vicar

More tea, vicar

Guess how many cups

From Me Shed, Son

The inventor of the wind-up radio, Trevor Baylis, would join Johnny Vaughan in the shed to discuss innovative new products. Vaughan tended to make fun of Baylis for being in his late fifties/early sixties and was a traditional grey-haired man in London. Trevor G. Baylis (born May 13, 1937 in Kilburn, London, England) is a British inventor. ...

The Friday Song

Each Friday the two main presenters and the whole crew would gather in the hallway for The Friday Song. The song would look back at events that happened on the show each week

The lyrics to the chorus went as follows

''Singing, wakey, wakey, wakey rise and shine,
The Big Breakfast is the only way to dine,
It's your number one big breakie
So get it down your neckie,
And stick with us from seven until nine!''

Others

• One Lump or Two?
• Sunny Side Up
• Spot the Dog
• Telly Rellies
• Get Your Kit On
• Show Us Your Behind
• Court With Your Pants Down
• You Pet
• Spot the Sausage
• What's in My Pants
• What's Your Job, Bob?
• Yanks for the Memories
• Bring Home The Bacon
• Get Your Nobbly Nuts Out
• Egg On Your Face
• Young Fogey
• The Brian Moore The Merrier
• Pushy Mum
• Wonga
• The Vincent Price Is Right
• Housey Housey
• Wheel Of Fish
• Stop The Mop
• Chicken In A Basket
• Moving The Goalposts
• My Lenny, Um, Gnome
• Whose Washing Line Is It Anyway?
• Ice One Cyril

Lockkeepers' Cottages since The Big Breakfast

In November 2002, eight months after The Big Breakfast was axed, a fire destroyed a significant proportion of the first floor of the cottage the show was filmed in. A large part of the roof was also destroyed in the blaze. The fire is especially suspicious as there was no gas or electrical supply to the building.

Since the fire, extensive renovations have taken place to restore the house, and it is now used as a family home. The house was bought for little more than half the original asking price of £1 million, at a mere £550,000. The house was slashed in value due to the fire of November 2002.

The house has now been fully renovated, but they maintain a high perimeter fence around the house. Some of the well recognised aspects of the house remain; the sun burst wall, the red brick paint effect and the white picket fence.

The newly renovated house features in the BBC TWO show "Neneh and Andi Dish It Up" and BBC THREE's 'Singing With the Enemy'.

The cottages are located about 200 metres from the planned site of the main Olympic Stadium, to be constructed for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2005, the cottages became part of the Compulsory Purchase Order for the Games (http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConMediaFile.1223 - item 239), giving rise to speculation that the building may be demolished. However, some outline plans have indicated the immediate location of the cottages and gardens as being unchanged. The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ... Compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• The Big Breakfast at Channel4.com

• Bow Locks - A Big Breakfast fansite

• Recent pictures of the house from Abandoned.org.uk