![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
You are in: Entertainment: TV and Radio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
Tuesday, 19 June, 2001, 12:22 GMT 13:22 UK
Big Breakfast washed up
![]() Recent hosts Donna Air, Paul Tonkinson and Amanda Byram
Channel 4's The Big Breakfast is to be axed - or at least extensively re-worked - early in 2002.
Channel 4 confirmed the end of the series after months of speculation about the future of the show, which has seen its audience fall to less than 500,000 - and sometimes as low as 290,000.
Tim Gardam, Channel 4's Director of Programmes, said: "A revitalised Big Breakfast remains a strong contender to keep the slot." Glory days The programme recently lost presenters Paul Tonkinson and Donna Air, but the presenting team had failed to match the appeal of previous pairings. The show's glory days were back in 1992 when Chris Evans and Paula Yates - and later Gaby Roslin - attracted audiences of up to 1.5 million viewers. Next came a ratings drop under Zoe Ball, Mark Little and Sharron Davies until Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen revived the show in the late 1990s. But a reunion of Vaughan and Van Outen for three months at the beginning of this year failed to recapture the old magic - or the old ratings - as did an extensive relaunch with new presenters. Alternatives The programme is made by Planet 24 but tenders for its replacement are open to all TV companies. The submission for outline ideas for alternatives will be overseen by Sharon Powers, Channel 4's editor for entertainment, in consultation with Tim Gardam.
Producers have until 9 July to submit proposals and a decision about a more formal tender development will be taken later in the summer.
|
![]() |
See also:
![]() Internet links:
![]() The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top TV and Radio stories now:
![]() ![]() Links to more TV and Radio stories are at the foot of the page.
![]() |
![]() |
Links to more TV and Radio stories
|
![]() |
![]() |
^^ Back to top News Front Page | World | UK | UK Politics | Business | Sci/Tech | Health | Education | Entertainment | Talking Point | In Depth | AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |