C4's Rise names new presenter

Edith Bowman (right) is the only original presenter left

Channel 4's troubled breakfast show Rise has recruited presenter Iain Lee to fill the gap left by the departure of anchor Mark Durden-Smith.

The show will also move away from news and focus on entertainment and comedy when it returns to screens later this month, producers have revealed.

Iain Lee: Found fame on the Eleven O'Clock Show

Durden-Smith's departure means just one of the line-up that launched the show in April 2002 will be on the team when it returns.

Lee is known for presenting Channel 4's satirical 11 O'Clock Show and My Worst Week, about the media circus surrounding public scandals, for BBC One.

Rise is undergoing a radical transformation following poor ratings since its launch as a replacement for the Big Breakfast.

The revamped show will be broadcast from the top floor of the Whiteleys shopping complex in Bayswater, central London, from 20 January.

"There are more presenter announcements and format announcements to be made," a spokeswoman told BBC News Online.

Mark Durden-Smith is the son of TV presenter Judith Chalmers

But Rise would move away from its news format, she said.

"The show will be more entertainment and comedy based and Iain, we felt, was more appropriate."

Through the 11 O'Clock Show, which also boosted the careers of Ricky Gervais and Daisy Donovan, Iain Lee has picked up a reputation for being an edgy performer.

He has worked on live TV before, having stood in for the late Christopher Price as presenter of BBC Choice's entertainment news show Liquid News.

But a planned repeat of one edition had to be pulled in 2001 after remarks he made about a pop singer were judged to be too near-the-knuckle by producers.

Disappointing ratings

The departure of former Sky Sports presenter Durden-Smith was announced on Wednesday when he became the latest of the original line-up to leave.

Colin Murray was the first to go, moving on to present music shows on Channel 4 and replacing DJ Steve Lamacq as the host of Radio 1's evening programme.

Kirsty Gallacher, Chris Rogers and Liz Bonnin have also been axed.

Rise has been dogged by bad press and has been pulling in disappointing viewing figures of about 300,000, but it is hoped the revamp will encourage a sharp increase.

The show has also appointed a new editor, Justin Gorman, who used to work on talent shows Popstars and Model Behaviour.

He is the show's third editor since it launched in April 2002.