TV's big breakfast goes out with a bang
Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast TV show ended forever with a bang today as the house where it has been set for the last 10 years appeared to be blown to pieces.
But the explosion was computer generated, and after the house had apparently been razed to the ground, the show’s crew and some of its presenters sipped champagne in the sunshine to celebrate the end of an era.
Over the last 10 years, the show has served as a launch pad for stars such as Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen, Gaby Roslin, Lisa Tarbuck, various guest presenters and puppets Zig and Zag.
At its peak, the show, which started on September 28, 1992, with presenter Chris Evans, attracted two million viewers.
But Channel 4 bosses decided to axe it after ratings dropped to just 250,000.
The show’s creator, Charlie Parsons, who is also the executive producer of Survivor, criticised the decision.
He said: ‘‘This is show business, and you need love and warmth to keep people’s spirits up.
‘‘But Channel 4 have not been interested in the show for at least two years.’’
He added: ‘‘They don’t even get up to watch it or come down to the house because it’s in east London, which is too far for them, and they are scared they might get stuck in a traffic jam.’’
Presenter Richard Bacon, who hosted today’s show, said that although the show had started to lack confidence, over the last few weeks it had shown what it was really capable of.
‘‘I can understand why they have decided to pull it because it’s 10 years old.
He added: ’’But Channel 4 are throwing away the best format in television.
‘‘In the last few weeks, it’s been better than ever because it’s been fearless due to us all knowing it was going to end.’’
Bacon, who has presented the show for the last three years, said he would be going on holiday for April to the Algarve and Los Angeles before returning to host a game show, which goes out in May.
The Prince of Wales also paid tribute to the show, calling it an ‘‘institution’’.
In a letter read out on the show, the Prince said: ‘‘For the last 10 years, The Big Breakfast has amused and entertained a great number of people.’’
Today’s show, which was the 2,482nd, was co-presented by Amanda Byram.
A time capsule containing Big Breakfast memorabilia was buried in a garden in Stevenage - chosen because a viewer contacted the show to say that ‘‘nothing exciting ever happens in Stevenage’’.
Vaughan, Evans, Roslin, Van Outen, Tarbuck and Zig and Zag all paid tribute to the best moments on the show in a series of video clips.
