The Late, Late Breakfast Show
| The Late, Late Breakfast Show | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | 'The Noel Edmonds Late, Late Breakfast Show (1983–6) |
| Genre | Entertainment |
| Presented by | Noel Edmonds |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 77 (inc. 4 specials) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 40–50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | 4 September 1982 – 8 November 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow |
The Late, Late Breakfast Show was a BBC television light entertainment show broadcast live on Saturday evenings from 4 September 1982 to 8 November 1986. It was presented by Noel Edmonds, initially with co-host Leni Harper and also featured Mike Smith and John Peel. The "Give It A Whirl" segments featured dangerous stunts. Multiple serious injuries resulted from these stunts, including the death of Michael Lush in 1986. The show was cancelled in the aftermath of his death.
The show was the first show Edmonds presented in the Saturday evening variety slot, who had quit his Saturday morning children's show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop earlier that year. Its theme tune was written by Gary Kemp and performed by Spandau Ballet. It was produced and directed by Michael Hurll. Initially, the show struggled in the ratings and seemed unlikely to survive beyond its first series. Initial co-host Leni Harper was fired after the third show and various revamps took place to bolster the ratings. Eventually, the inclusion of some of the biggest names in the music business as special guests helped raise the profile and ratings for the show.
The Swedish group ABBA appeared twice in the first series, making their last ever TV appearance on the show. Edmonds would often interview the music guests live via satellite, although it became obvious in many cases, most notably the appearances of Rod Stewart and Duran Duran that he was in fact posing questions to an already recorded interview with another station and his questioning was being dubbed over the original interviewer.
The show was described as a "mag prog [magazine programme] especially for those who get up late on Saturday, featuring comedy, pop music & a few surprises". Regular features on the show included "The Hit Squad", which was a hidden camera section, pop music performances, and "The Golden Egg Awards", which featured various outtakes. During the "Give It A Whirl" feature a member of the public would call in and have the "Whirly Wheel" spun to select a stunt, in a similar setup to gameshow Wheel of Fortune; after spending the week training, they would perform the stunt live on the next show.
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