Breakfast show first for BBC

The Breakfast team prepare for launch

A "warmer and more welcoming" morning news programme has been unveiled by the BBC.

The three-hour Breakfast show will be the first self-contained programme to be broadcast simultaneously on both BBC One and BBC News 24.

All the high quality BBC news values are there but in a more accessible way

BBC spokeswoman

The programme - including a bright yellow studio set - will be fronted by former BBC Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen and Sophie Raworth.

It marks a return for newsreader Moira Stuart to mainstream daily bulletins.

By sharing the new programme across two channels the BBC expects to make an annual saving of £1.5m.

The format will feature news updates every 15 minutes, greater coverage of business news and longer regional bulletins with extra local weather and traffic reports.

Presenters will be based either at desks, in a face-to-face interview area or in a more relaxed sofa section.

'A real difference'

Raworth, 32, said: "Viewers will notice a real difference throughout the show - the new set look and feels warmer and more welcoming and the programme itself has broader appeal."

The changes come shortly after GMTV revamped its look with a series of new faces.

But a BBC spokeswoman said: "We're not going to become a BBC version of GMTV - all the high quality BBC news values are there but in a more accessible way."

The Breakfast programme will also be screened over the weekend on News 24, with Sarah Montague and Darren Jordon presenting.