Daybreak (ITV)
Encyclopedia
Daybreak is the weekday breakfast television
programme on the British commercial ITV
network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles
and Christine Bleakley
from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb
and Kate Garraway
on Fridays. Following the appointment of David Kermode as editor from 2012, Chiles and Bleakley are to depart as main presenters heralding a major relaunch of the show in 2012. On 25 November 2011, ITV confirmed that Adrian Chiles
and Christine Bleakley
would depart from the show in the New Year.
It features news and entertainment stories interspersed with celebrity interviews, competitions, consumer and health items and news reports from the regions. The national and international news bulletin is presented on the hour and every half hour. National weather reports are presented in the studio or from an outside location on the half hour.
Daybreak replaced GMTV which aired its last weekday edition on 3 September 2010. Daybreak launched three days later. However, the replacement programme has failed to attract the expected audience figures, suffered a drop in advertising revenues and has been the subject of much criticism in the press. Viewing figures since the launch have remained below those of the former GMTV and lag behind BBC Breakfast.
by ITV plc
. Daybreak and Lorraine
make up the weekday output of ITV Breakfast
. At weekends, children's programming fills this slot. An advertising campaign, promoting the new show, started on 23 August, with short break-bumpers in between the start and end of an advertisement break, broadcast during the evening schedule of ITV1
. Adverts featuring presenters Adrian Chiles
and Christine Bleakley
were broadcast throughout the day from 31 August 2010. Chiles and Bleakley presented The One Show
on BBC One
together for nearly three years before leaving in 2010 to join ITV.
In March 2011, ITV announced that it was incorporating Daybreak into its ITV News
operation as part of a management restructure. In July 2011 it was announced that production of the show, along with that of sister programme, Lorraine would be taken over by ITV Studios
. As the show approached its first anniversary on air, it was announced that its editor, Ian Rumsey is departing the programme for new projects. From September 2011, Chiles took a reduced role on the programme, presenting from Monday to Thursday.
executive Karl Newton is being charged with the transition to ITV Studios and is revamping the show to give it "one last throw of the dice" to boost its ratings. On 2 September 2011, ITV announced that former BBC Breakfast chief, David Kermode, currently editor of 5 News is to take over as editor of the programme from 1 December 2011, heralding a major revamp to the presenting team and the format. On Tuesday 6 September 2011, the show celebrated its first anniversary on air. In November 2011, the national press was widely reporting that Chiles and Bleakley are to be dropped from the show as part of a major relaunch in 2012 when Kermode takes over as editor. ITV is expected to formally announce their sacking in due course. Various alternative presenters are to be trialed including former GMTV newsreader Helen Fospero
. On 20 November 2011, Adrian Chiles
confirmed the duo were to depart from the programme in the New Year, stating that "we were assured we could go with our dignity intact." Among contenders to replace Chiles and Bleakley on the Daybreak sofa are BBC Breakfast veteran Sian Williams and 5 News at 5pm anchor Matt Barbet
whom the new producers have approached as replacement hosts. Other candidates touted for the role included Sky News
' Sunrise breakfasts show anchor and ITV This Morning
presenter, Eamon Holmes and ITV News and London Tonight presenter Natasha Kaplinsky
.. However, Kaplinsky has since ruled herself out of the role.
periods.
from the Daybreak newsdesk at 06:00, 07:00 and 08:00 with headlines on the half-hour. Reports are presented by members of the programme's news team. Other news stories are covered and discussed in the programmme as they develop. ITV Regional News bulletins are broadcast at 06:15, 07:15 and 08:15 with local news in brief, traffic and travel updates, and a local weather forecast. On 5 September 2011, the news set was moved away from the studio's riverside window to a new revamped presentation area.
See also:
or Kirsty McCabe
at around 06:25, 06:55, 07:25, 07:55 and 08:25. In December 2010, the programme featured extensive coverage of the severe winter weather affecting much of the UK. A news ticker
was introduced to provide updates on transport information during the blizzards that affected much of the country's transport infrastructure at the time. National weather reports are presented mainly in the studio or from the outside terrace. Sometimes the forecasts are shot from an outside location, such as Leeds Castle
or Epsom Downs Racecourse
.
at 06:18 and 07:35. Other major sports stories are interspersed with the news bulletins and form a talking point in the "In the Mix" feature. Gavin Ramjaun
presents the sport when Lobb is hosting the programme or unavailable.
and Steve Hargrave. Jameson sometimes brings a home-made cake into the studio.
or entertainment correspondent Steve Hargrave in conversation with one of the presenters. It is usually aired around 8:15am weekday mornings.
Tony Blair
, Prince Charles
, David Beckham
, Angelina Jolie
, Dame Helen Mirren, Harry Potter
stars Tom Felton
and Rupert Grint
. and Harrison Ford
.
During its first birthday week in September 2011, the show interviewed Jane Asher
, Martin Clunes
and Katie Price.
. These draws are promoted by well-known TV personalities and offer large cash prizes, cars and holidays with frequently repeated inserts throughout the programme. Entry is usually by multiple choice questions though some competition draws have no quiz element attached. In common with other ITV
prize draws, free online entry is also offered. The draws are usually also promoted on the Lorraine
show.
show at around 07:35 and a handover after the weather summary to round off the show at 08:30. The preview originally appeared at 8:10 but was moved to an earlier slot in March 2011. On 30 November 2010, co-host Adrian Chiles wore a kilt
to make an on-screen visit to the Lorraine studio to congratulate Lorraine Kelly
on her birthday and mark St Andrew's Day. Chiles returned to the Daybreak studio to present the remainder of the show wearing the kilt. On 20 July 2011, Lorraine was presented from the Daybreak studio due to technical problems with a commercial break inserted in place of the handover to allow for the changeover.
outside Buckingham Palace
for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. with Gregg Easteal at St Andrews
On the edition of 9 August 2011, the programme featured extensive coverage of the 2011 England riots
.
film, The Deathly Hallows, interviewing a number of the cast. The Harry Potter week also featured a number of young magicians who performed in the "Cool before School" slot.
Daybreak has also devoted coverage to TV entertainment shows The X Factor
, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing
and held interviews with contestants.
and featured three lifestyle and fitness experts to transform the lives of people living in a suburban street in Leeds
. Martin Lewis
offered financial tips, Matt Roberts provided personal training tips and Hayley Taylor gave career advice. The experts from "Transformation Street" also presented the daily feature "The Guide to Transforming Your Life".
appeared on the programme on 3 February 2011 to launch Red Nose Day
. On 14 March 2011, TV presenters Ant and Dec requested that Chiles and Bleakley contribute items for auction towards the Comic Relief
appeal, they donated their shoes, however Ant and Dec wanted more, and ended up taking the Daybreak sofa.
.
from a spacious studio with a large area of "real-time" window, glazed with light-sensitive panels supplied by SmartGlass International, overlooking the River Thames
. It is produced from Studio 7 at The London Studios
(TLS) and equipped with state-of-the-art Sony
HD cameras and editing equipment. It is the former home of London News Network
's regional news programmes London Today and London Tonight
. The set was designed by Jonathan Paul Green. The main presentation area is dominated by dark wood flooring with a raised, stage area with steps in front.
overlooking the River Thames was created for guests with some star guest interviews conducted in this area. It still has the old purple sofas left over from the launch. The weather presenter originally occupied the studio's stage with mosaic-style plasmas screens behind. This area has also been used to present news stories and conduct interviews. The weather report has since shifted to a green screen and often comes from external locations.
the dark backdrop by lighting up the dome of the nearby St Paul's Cathedral
. Decorative planters and vases of flowers were introduced soon after the launch. These were refreshed with new arrangements on a regular basis but the houseplants were dropped early in 2011. These changes were made following audience research revealing that viewers found the studio's look "too dark". In the dark winter mornings, the programme was presented from the "clock wall" area of the studio. The original sofas were modified in October 2010 with the installation of higher back-rests.
and replaced with a new red one-piece sofa. From April 2011, the programme's riverside terrace area was launched for presenting outdoors in fine weather. This area featured heavily on the show over the summer of 2011.
s with a yellow stripe. A similar logo is used for the Lorraine programme however, it is pink instead of purple. The title sequence is a series of clips based on things which happen in the morning. It opens with sunshine shining through leaves, a jogger, a postman, a market stall and shops opening up, a mother opening the front door with children off to school, commuters walking to work and a newspaper in a letterbox. The break bumpers include views of the London skyline, toast, eggs, a Croydon tram
. A revamp of the graphics and opening sequence are being planned as part of the show's relaunch under a refreshed production team.
for major news events and to broadcast viewers' messages. The programme used a ticker to display transport information during the snowstorms of 2010 and to show viewers' greetings for Valentines Day and Mothering Sunday
in 2011. It was also used when breaking the news of the death of terrorist Osama Bin Laden
in Pakistan
on 2 May 2011. The ticker resurfaced on 10 August 2011 as part of the programme's coverage of the 2011 England riots
.
, containing regular previews, entertainment and consumer items, polls and interactive and catch-up content. The programme also maintains interactive content on the social networking sites Facebook
and Twitter
. The website has hosted a number of webchats with celebrities who have appeared on the show. Some of the presenters and reporters also contribute blog
s to the website.
and a lead story by John Stapleton
on the collapse of the Farepak Christmas savings club in 2006.
Views of regional locations around the UK
were broadcast as well as a tour of the studio. The press offered a mixed reception to the first show. Andrew Pettie of the Daily Telegraph commented "aside from its news hosts... and a smart mauve new studio, this could be any old edition of any breakfast show." He described the new set as 'a little sterile and unwelcoming for a breakfast show." The Guardian
s Stuart Heritage wrote: "Although it does seem like a continuation of GMTV rather than a bold reinvention, some of the new aspects of Daybreak have worked. Adrian and Christine have done reasonably well and the other new faces all seem like good additions." The Daily Mail
noted "the pair looked incredibly cosy", even though "they stumbled over a word or two". In the wake of a hostile press, Chiles later admitted that the launch show had been "one of the biggest crocks... anyone had seen in years."
brought one of her cakes into the studio. The weather was presented from Marwell Wildlife park with a viewer competition to name a baby flamingo born that morning. Viewers were invited to enter a phone competition to win a trip to Australia. One of the break bumpers has a graphic reading "G'Daybreak".
on a trip to Australia, which took place in November 2011. The show based this competition on what Oprah Winfrey
did for her show, The Oprah Winfrey Show
, where she took 300 members of her audience on a trip to the country.
which averaged a total audience of around 1.4 million viewers for the same slot. In the second week, average viewing figures fell to 800,000, and by 24 September, were down to 700,000. Ratings continued to fall in October, and ebbed to 545,000 on 27 October. Ratings recovered to 817,000 (including ITV1 HD viewers) on 1 November, averaging around 800,000 for that week. For the week ending 19 November, the average ratings were almost 840,000 per day, The recovery continued into December with the programme gaining an average one million viewers on 2 December and averaging 923,000 for that week. The recovery stalled in the Christmas holiday period and drew a new low of 390,000 viewers on 30 December when regular hosts Chiles and Bleakley were on leave. Daybreak made a slow start to the New Year with the Bank Holiday edition for 3 January averaging only 300,000 viewers. It bounced back to 700,000 the following day. For the first six weeks of 2011, ratings averaged around 800,000. Ratings remained at around 800,000 for much of the period but fell back to 690,000 in the April school holidays. Its daily viewing figures remained on average around the 800,000 mark for much of the first half of 2011, around half the average viewing figures for BBC Breakfast
. Ratings dipped to a new low during August 2011 with hopes for a recovery with the end of the summer holiday period and the show's ongoing relaunch. By November 2011, the ratings crisis led to the sacking of Chiles and Bleakley and the imminent appointment of new hosts to take over the show in early 2012.
compared the ratings crisis hitting Daybreak to her experience as part of the team launching TV-am
in the early 1980s. Rantzen commented, 'simply sacking Adrian and Christine won't do the trick.' TV-am's former Good Morning Britain
co-presenter Anne Diamond
defended Daybreak commenting that Chiles and Bleakley were 'not to blame' for the problems. Former GMTV host Fiona Phillips
claimed that the show had 'lost touch with its audience'. Veteran breakfast television host Lorraine Kelly
urged viewers to 'stick with the programme', noting that 'both TV-am and GMTV had nightmare starts...it all comes down to content.'
After two months as co-host, Bleakley said the low ratings since the debut were a "teething problem". She felt the ratings improvement of early November 2010 was a "turning point" with the programme "finding its feet", a view echoed by Chiles. Bleakley noted 'the corner that was slightly turned in the last two weeks has given us all a little bit of a lift, thankfully'. Chiles commented, 'It kind of feels it's getting better already...you feel it's us against the world at four o'clock in the morning.'
in the "Magazine Programme of the Year" category for 2011, but failed to make the final shortlist.
Breakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
programme on the British commercial ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network that broadcasts on weekday mornings from 06:00 to 08:30 and is currently presented by Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....
and Christine Bleakley
Christine Bleakley
Christine Louise Bleakley is a television presenter from Northern Ireland. She joined Daybreak on ITV as co-presenter with Adrian Chiles in September 2010...
from Monday to Thursday with Dan Lobb
Dan Lobb
Daniel "Dan" Jonathon Lobb is a British retired tennis player, currently working as a presenter, and is the sports editor for ITV's Daybreak.-Tennis:...
and Kate Garraway
Kate Garraway
Kathryn Mary Garraway is an English journalist currently employed by ITV Breakfast.She has presented the UK version of The Biggest Loser.-Early life:...
on Fridays. Following the appointment of David Kermode as editor from 2012, Chiles and Bleakley are to depart as main presenters heralding a major relaunch of the show in 2012. On 25 November 2011, ITV confirmed that Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....
and Christine Bleakley
Christine Bleakley
Christine Louise Bleakley is a television presenter from Northern Ireland. She joined Daybreak on ITV as co-presenter with Adrian Chiles in September 2010...
would depart from the show in the New Year.
It features news and entertainment stories interspersed with celebrity interviews, competitions, consumer and health items and news reports from the regions. The national and international news bulletin is presented on the hour and every half hour. National weather reports are presented in the studio or from an outside location on the half hour.
Daybreak replaced GMTV which aired its last weekday edition on 3 September 2010. Daybreak launched three days later. However, the replacement programme has failed to attract the expected audience figures, suffered a drop in advertising revenues and has been the subject of much criticism in the press. Viewing figures since the launch have remained below those of the former GMTV and lag behind BBC Breakfast.
History
The decision to replace GMTV with Daybreak followed the full takeover of GMTVGMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
by ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
. Daybreak and Lorraine
Lorraine (TV programme)
Lorraine is the early weekday morning, lifestyle and entertainment show for the British ITV network, presented by Lorraine Kelly. ITV Breakfast produces Lorraine, which airs every weekday from 08:30 until 09:25, following Daybreak...
make up the weekday output of ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast Limited is the national ITV breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
. At weekends, children's programming fills this slot. An advertising campaign, promoting the new show, started on 23 August, with short break-bumpers in between the start and end of an advertisement break, broadcast during the evening schedule of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
. Adverts featuring presenters Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....
and Christine Bleakley
Christine Bleakley
Christine Louise Bleakley is a television presenter from Northern Ireland. She joined Daybreak on ITV as co-presenter with Adrian Chiles in September 2010...
were broadcast throughout the day from 31 August 2010. Chiles and Bleakley presented The One Show
The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
together for nearly three years before leaving in 2010 to join ITV.
In March 2011, ITV announced that it was incorporating Daybreak into its ITV News
ITV News
ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
operation as part of a management restructure. In July 2011 it was announced that production of the show, along with that of sister programme, Lorraine would be taken over by ITV Studios
ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a television production company owned by the British television network ITV. It not only makes programmes primarily for its parent company, but also for other networks...
. As the show approached its first anniversary on air, it was announced that its editor, Ian Rumsey is departing the programme for new projects. From September 2011, Chiles took a reduced role on the programme, presenting from Monday to Thursday.
Relaunch
This MorningThis Morning
This Morning may refer to:* This Morning , a British daytime television show* This Morning , a Canadian radio show* CBS This Morning and This Morning, former names of the American morning show The Early Show...
executive Karl Newton is being charged with the transition to ITV Studios and is revamping the show to give it "one last throw of the dice" to boost its ratings. On 2 September 2011, ITV announced that former BBC Breakfast chief, David Kermode, currently editor of 5 News is to take over as editor of the programme from 1 December 2011, heralding a major revamp to the presenting team and the format. On Tuesday 6 September 2011, the show celebrated its first anniversary on air. In November 2011, the national press was widely reporting that Chiles and Bleakley are to be dropped from the show as part of a major relaunch in 2012 when Kermode takes over as editor. ITV is expected to formally announce their sacking in due course. Various alternative presenters are to be trialed including former GMTV newsreader Helen Fospero
Helen Fospero
Helen Fospero is an English television newsreader and journalist.-Early life:Born Helen Jane Morton, she grew up in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and attended Whitgift School on Crosland Road in Grimsby. She left school just before her 18th birthday and started her career at the local weekly...
. On 20 November 2011, Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....
confirmed the duo were to depart from the programme in the New Year, stating that "we were assured we could go with our dignity intact." Among contenders to replace Chiles and Bleakley on the Daybreak sofa are BBC Breakfast veteran Sian Williams and 5 News at 5pm anchor Matt Barbet
Matt Barbet
Matthew "Matt" Barbet is a British television journalist who presents 5 News. He was previously a presenter and reporter for BBC London from 2003 to 2007, presented BBC London's Children in Need coverage in 2006 and he also acted as an occasional presenter on BBC Breakfast in 2007, as a cover for...
whom the new producers have approached as replacement hosts. Other candidates touted for the role included Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
' Sunrise breakfasts show anchor and ITV This Morning
This Morning
This Morning may refer to:* This Morning , a British daytime television show* This Morning , a Canadian radio show* CBS This Morning and This Morning, former names of the American morning show The Early Show...
presenter, Eamon Holmes and ITV News and London Tonight presenter Natasha Kaplinsky
Natasha Kaplinsky
Natasha Margaret Kaplinsky is a British newsreader and television presenter, currently employed by ITV having previously worked for Channel 5, Sky News and the BBC...
.. However, Kaplinsky has since ruled herself out of the role.
Format
Daybreak is a news, lifestyle and entertainment magazine programme interspersed with celebrity interviews, competitions, consumer and health items and reports from locations around the UK. The programme is normally on air Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 08:30 with a shorter edition aired at Bank HolidayBank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
periods.
News
The main hourly morning news bulletin is presented by Tasmin Lucia KhanTasmin Lucia Khan
Tasmin Lucia Khan is a British journalist and news presenter for ITV breakfast show Daybreak. She also presents a news bulletin for the Lorraine programme on ITV. She is a former presenter of BBC Three's hourly news bulletin, 60 Seconds, and presented E24 on the rolling news channel BBC News...
from the Daybreak newsdesk at 06:00, 07:00 and 08:00 with headlines on the half-hour. Reports are presented by members of the programme's news team. Other news stories are covered and discussed in the programmme as they develop. ITV Regional News bulletins are broadcast at 06:15, 07:15 and 08:15 with local news in brief, traffic and travel updates, and a local weather forecast. On 5 September 2011, the news set was moved away from the studio's riverside window to a new revamped presentation area.
See also:
- Daybreak ScotlandDaybreak ScotlandDaybreak Scotland is the regional news strand for the two ITV regions in northern and central Scotland, provided for the ITV breakfast station ITV Breakfast...
- Daybreak Northern Ireland
Weather
The national Daybreak weather report is presented from the studio by Lucy VerasamyLucy Verasamy
Lucy Verasamy is a weather forecaster and environment correspondent for Daybreak on ITV. From 2005 until September 2010, she worked for Sky News as a weather forecaster.-Early life:...
or Kirsty McCabe
Kirsty McCabe
Kirsty McCabe is a Scottish weather forecaster working for Daybreak.-Early life:While at high school McCabe was an early member of the Palace Youth Theatre which was a joint venture between Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council and Borderline Theatre Company...
at around 06:25, 06:55, 07:25, 07:55 and 08:25. In December 2010, the programme featured extensive coverage of the severe winter weather affecting much of the UK. A news ticker
News ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
was introduced to provide updates on transport information during the blizzards that affected much of the country's transport infrastructure at the time. National weather reports are presented mainly in the studio or from the outside terrace. Sometimes the forecasts are shot from an outside location, such as Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
or Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
.
Sport
A regular sports bulletin is presented by sports editor Dan LobbDan Lobb
Daniel "Dan" Jonathon Lobb is a British retired tennis player, currently working as a presenter, and is the sports editor for ITV's Daybreak.-Tennis:...
at 06:18 and 07:35. Other major sports stories are interspersed with the news bulletins and form a talking point in the "In the Mix" feature. Gavin Ramjaun
Gavin Ramjaun
Gavin Ramjaun is a news correspondent on ITV's Daybreak and formerly a presenter on BBC News, Sport and Newsround, a children's news programme.Gavin is also a keen film fanatic and names 'Jeepers Creepers' as his favourite title....
presents the sport when Lobb is hosting the programme or unavailable.
In the mix
Since November 2010, after the 06:00 and 07:00 news bulletins, there is a discussion of the day's news headlines, entertainment and health news and a review of the newspapers referred to as "In the mix". The presenters are usually joined by editors and experts from the Daybreak team such as Sue Jameson, Dr Hillary Jones, Kate GarrawayKate Garraway
Kathryn Mary Garraway is an English journalist currently employed by ITV Breakfast.She has presented the UK version of The Biggest Loser.-Early life:...
and Steve Hargrave. Jameson sometimes brings a home-made cake into the studio.
"Great, it's 5 to 8"
This new entertainment feature was launched in July 2011 to replace the former "Something Cool Before the Kids Go to School". It contains a variety of showbiz news and live musical performances in the studio.TV Matters
"TV Matters" is Daybreaks daily TV review and preview presented by entertainment editor Kate GarrawayKate Garraway
Kathryn Mary Garraway is an English journalist currently employed by ITV Breakfast.She has presented the UK version of The Biggest Loser.-Early life:...
or entertainment correspondent Steve Hargrave in conversation with one of the presenters. It is usually aired around 8:15am weekday mornings.
Celebrity interview
The programme usually features live sofa interviews with at least two celebrity guests and TV stars. Early guests included Former Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
, Dame Helen Mirren, Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
stars Tom Felton
Tom Felton
Thomas Andrew "Tom" Felton is an English actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, the movie adaptations of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by author J. K...
and Rupert Grint
Rupert Grint
Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor, who rose to prominence playing Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series. Grint was cast as Ron at the age of 11, having previously acted only in school plays and at his local theatre group...
. and Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
.
During its first birthday week in September 2011, the show interviewed Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
, Martin Clunes
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
and Katie Price.
The Guide
"The Guide" is an insert in which professional experts provide viewers with advice and tips on how to improve their lives and lifestyles. Guides to have featured include "The Guide to looking good this winter" (September 2010), "The Guide to Christmas" (December 2010), "The Guide to Transforming your Life" (January 2011) and "The Guide to Family Pets" (February 2011). Veteran TV-am, GMTV and Daybreak health guru Dr Hillary Jones provides a regular Guide to Health including some outside broadcasts from locations such as schools.Competitions
Phone-in competitions have featured heavily in Daybreaks schedule since the launch, despite the scandal that dogged such contests in the final years of GMTVGMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
. These draws are promoted by well-known TV personalities and offer large cash prizes, cars and holidays with frequently repeated inserts throughout the programme. Entry is usually by multiple choice questions though some competition draws have no quiz element attached. In common with other ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
prize draws, free online entry is also offered. The draws are usually also promoted on the Lorraine
Lorraine (TV programme)
Lorraine is the early weekday morning, lifestyle and entertainment show for the British ITV network, presented by Lorraine Kelly. ITV Breakfast produces Lorraine, which airs every weekday from 08:30 until 09:25, following Daybreak...
show.
Handover to Lorraine
There is a preview of the LorraineLorraine (TV programme)
Lorraine is the early weekday morning, lifestyle and entertainment show for the British ITV network, presented by Lorraine Kelly. ITV Breakfast produces Lorraine, which airs every weekday from 08:30 until 09:25, following Daybreak...
show at around 07:35 and a handover after the weather summary to round off the show at 08:30. The preview originally appeared at 8:10 but was moved to an earlier slot in March 2011. On 30 November 2010, co-host Adrian Chiles wore a kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
to make an on-screen visit to the Lorraine studio to congratulate Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish television presenter, journalist and actress, best known as a presenter for TV-am, and later GMTV and ITV Breakfast, on Lorraine.-Early life:...
on her birthday and mark St Andrew's Day. Chiles returned to the Daybreak studio to present the remainder of the show wearing the kilt. On 20 July 2011, Lorraine was presented from the Daybreak studio due to technical problems with a commercial break inserted in place of the handover to allow for the changeover.
Outside broadcasts
On 29 April 2011, Chiles and Bleakley presented from Canada GateCanada Gate and Canada Memorial
The Canada Gate and Canada Memorial are located in the Green Park, London. The gate forms part of the city's Queen Victoria Memorial scheme. The Canada Memorial erected in 1992, behind the gate, is a tribute to the 113,663 members of the Canadian Forces killed during World Wars I and II.- The...
outside Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. with Gregg Easteal at St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
On the edition of 9 August 2011, the programme featured extensive coverage of the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
.
Movie/television tie-ins
In November 2010, Daybreak heavily promoted the release of the first part of the final Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
film, The Deathly Hallows, interviewing a number of the cast. The Harry Potter week also featured a number of young magicians who performed in the "Cool before School" slot.
Daybreak has also devoted coverage to TV entertainment shows The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
and held interviews with contestants.
Former features (2011)
In January 2011, Daybreak launched a week-long lifestyle, makeover and fitness feature for new year called "Transformation Street". It was presented by Gráinne SeoigeGráinne Seoige
Gráinne Seoige is an Irish television presenter, Gaeilgeoir, and "fashion icon",Gráinne Seoige is one of the few television presenters who has worked for all terrestrial channels in the Republic of Ireland at some point. She has worked as a news anchor on TG4, TV3 and Sky News Ireland...
and featured three lifestyle and fitness experts to transform the lives of people living in a suburban street in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Martin Lewis
Martin Lewis (financial journalist)
Martin Steven Lewis is journalist, television presenter, website entrepreneur and author in the United Kingdom, who specialises in ways to save money...
offered financial tips, Matt Roberts provided personal training tips and Hayley Taylor gave career advice. The experts from "Transformation Street" also presented the daily feature "The Guide to Transforming Your Life".
Comic Relief 2011
Comedian and actress Miranda HartMiranda Hart
Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda...
appeared on the programme on 3 February 2011 to launch Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day 2011
Red Nose Day 2011 was a fundraising event organised by Comic Relief. There was a live telethon broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of 18 March 2011 to early the following morning as well as a number of run-up events...
. On 14 March 2011, TV presenters Ant and Dec requested that Chiles and Bleakley contribute items for auction towards the Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
appeal, they donated their shoes, however Ant and Dec wanted more, and ended up taking the Daybreak sofa.
Something Cool before the Kids go to School
For the first few months on air, at around 07.50, an off-beat item for younger viewers entitled "Something Cool before the Kids go to School" was featured, often including an entertainment act, stunt or piece of hi-tech equipment in the studio or an interview with a celebrity. This slot has since been relaunched as "Great it's 5 to 8"."Donate a Day"
On 23 May 2011, Daybreak launched its "Donate a Day" campaign encouraging viewers to donate a day of voluntary work to help good causes. The feature has been endorsed by a number of celebrities including Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
.
Daybreak studio
The programme is presented in high-definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
from a spacious studio with a large area of "real-time" window, glazed with light-sensitive panels supplied by SmartGlass International, overlooking the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. It is produced from Studio 7 at The London Studios
The London Studios
The London Studios is a television studio complex which is owned by London Weekend Television and has been home to the London Weekend ITV provider since 1972...
(TLS) and equipped with state-of-the-art Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
HD cameras and editing equipment. It is the former home of London News Network
London News Network
London News Network was a television news and facilities organisation in London. It was created in 1992 as a joint operation between London's two ITV contractors, Carlton Television and London Weekend Television, with each company holding a 50% stake...
's regional news programmes London Today and London Tonight
London Tonight
London Tonight is a regional news programme broadcast on ITV London . Produced by ITN, the programme is broadcast at 6pm every weeknight, also including local sports news and local features of interest.Like all regional news programmes on ITV in England and Wales and Channel Television, it uses...
. The set was designed by Jonathan Paul Green. The main presentation area is dominated by dark wood flooring with a raised, stage area with steps in front.
Original set
On launch day, the hosts sat closely together on one of two curved purple sofas arranged in a semi-circle behind an internally lit circular coffee table. The studio was originally starkly minimalist in style with a mainly mauve and yellow colour scheme relying on the window for backlighting. In the weeks following the launch, due to the lack of daylight, this produced a dark look before sunrise which gave rise to widespread criticism. The presenters later admitted that they initially called the set "the purple cave of sadness." A large analogue dial clock, supplied by Good Directions Ltd, has remained a prominent feature of the set since the launch. This is mounted on a dark wood effect wall to the right of the studio window. A green roomGreen room
In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
overlooking the River Thames was created for guests with some star guest interviews conducted in this area. It still has the old purple sofas left over from the launch. The weather presenter originally occupied the studio's stage with mosaic-style plasmas screens behind. This area has also been used to present news stories and conduct interviews. The weather report has since shifted to a green screen and often comes from external locations.
Early changes to set
Soon after the launch, a series of ongoing modifications were made to brighten and soften the look of the set to make it more inviting. Illuminated screens countered the dark early morning London skyline. The producers also tried to improvethe dark backdrop by lighting up the dome of the nearby St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
. Decorative planters and vases of flowers were introduced soon after the launch. These were refreshed with new arrangements on a regular basis but the houseplants were dropped early in 2011. These changes were made following audience research revealing that viewers found the studio's look "too dark". In the dark winter mornings, the programme was presented from the "clock wall" area of the studio. The original sofas were modified in October 2010 with the installation of higher back-rests.
New look for 2011
Daybreaks first edition of 2011 saw the introduction of a larger blind, operated electronically behind the original window panels. The London riverside vista became prominent again as the days lengthened. In February, a TV screen was placed behind the sofa, showing the Daybreak logo and other graphics to illustrate features. In March, the purple sofas were donated for auction to Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
and replaced with a new red one-piece sofa. From April 2011, the programme's riverside terrace area was launched for presenting outdoors in fine weather. This area featured heavily on the show over the summer of 2011.
Anniversary changes
On 5 September 2011, the set was given some tweaks to mark the show's anniverary week on air as part of the upcoming major relaunch of the show under new producers. The show's first hour between 6-7am is now presented from a new dark hours set adjacent to the sports presentation area. Instead of the window, it has a plasma display showing an abstract pattern of moving landscape pictures from all over the UK with bright lighting panels on either side. The presenters and guests sit on individual red chairs to present this segment. The look of this new studio echoes that of the main set with a round lightbox coffee table and red circular rug on wood effect flooring. At the same time, the central "sunburst" coffee table on the main set was given a circular red carpet to add warmth to the look. The news presentation area was given a radical, brightly coloured makeover with the newsreader standing at a lectern in front of a large plasma unit in a look similar to that pioneered on Channel 5 News. These moves anticipate the problem of a dark studio window before sunrise encountered at the launch weeks of the show.Graphics
The main Daybreak logo is a white font on purple rectangle. The on-screen clock is in digital format with purple numbers on off-white rectangle surmounted by the blue-purple toned Daybreak digital on-screen graphicDigital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
s with a yellow stripe. A similar logo is used for the Lorraine programme however, it is pink instead of purple. The title sequence is a series of clips based on things which happen in the morning. It opens with sunshine shining through leaves, a jogger, a postman, a market stall and shops opening up, a mother opening the front door with children off to school, commuters walking to work and a newspaper in a letterbox. The break bumpers include views of the London skyline, toast, eggs, a Croydon tram
Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
. A revamp of the graphics and opening sequence are being planned as part of the show's relaunch under a refreshed production team.
News ticker
Daybreak occasionally employs a yellow news tickerNews ticker
A news ticker resides in the lower third of the television screen space on television news networks dedicated to presenting headlines or minor pieces of news. It may also refer to a long, thin scoreboard-style display seen around the front of some offices or public buildings...
for major news events and to broadcast viewers' messages. The programme used a ticker to display transport information during the snowstorms of 2010 and to show viewers' greetings for Valentines Day and Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe that falls on the 4th Sunday in Lent. Secularly it became a celebration of motherhood. It is increasingly being called Mother's Day, although in countries other than the UK and Ireland that holiday has other origins...
in 2011. It was also used when breaking the news of the death of terrorist Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on 2 May 2011. The ticker resurfaced on 10 August 2011 as part of the programme's coverage of the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
.
Electronic and social media
The Daybreak website is on ITV.comItv.com
itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 11 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers on-line streaming, ITV archive, news, sport, entertainment, games, soaps, lifestyle, drama and an interactive TV...
, containing regular previews, entertainment and consumer items, polls and interactive and catch-up content. The programme also maintains interactive content on the social networking sites Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. The website has hosted a number of webchats with celebrities who have appeared on the show. Some of the presenters and reporters also contribute blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s to the website.
First edition
The first edition of Daybreak was broadcast on 6 September 2010. It included an interview with Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and a lead story by John Stapleton
John Stapleton
John Martin Stapleton is an English journalist and presenter. He is currently working as a freelancer with various media outlets.-Television career:...
on the collapse of the Farepak Christmas savings club in 2006.
Views of regional locations around the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
were broadcast as well as a tour of the studio. The press offered a mixed reception to the first show. Andrew Pettie of the Daily Telegraph commented "aside from its news hosts... and a smart mauve new studio, this could be any old edition of any breakfast show." He described the new set as 'a little sterile and unwelcoming for a breakfast show." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Stuart Heritage wrote: "Although it does seem like a continuation of GMTV rather than a bold reinvention, some of the new aspects of Daybreak have worked. Adrian and Christine have done reasonably well and the other new faces all seem like good additions." The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
noted "the pair looked incredibly cosy", even though "they stumbled over a word or two". In the wake of a hostile press, Chiles later admitted that the launch show had been "one of the biggest crocks... anyone had seen in years."
First anniversary edition
Daybreak celebrated its first year on air on the edition of 6 September 2011 as part of a week-long series of events to mark the milestone. To mark its first birthday, actress Jane AsherJane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
brought one of her cakes into the studio. The weather was presented from Marwell Wildlife park with a viewer competition to name a baby flamingo born that morning. Viewers were invited to enter a phone competition to win a trip to Australia. One of the break bumpers has a graphic reading "G'Daybreak".
Daybreak Down Under
To celebrate Daybreak's first anniversary on air, a competition was launched named "Daybreak Down Under", inviting 100 viewers to join Kate GarrawayKate Garraway
Kathryn Mary Garraway is an English journalist currently employed by ITV Breakfast.She has presented the UK version of The Biggest Loser.-Early life:...
on a trip to Australia, which took place in November 2011. The show based this competition on what Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
did for her show, The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, where she took 300 members of her audience on a trip to the country.
First year
After an initial improvement on GMTV's final week, Daybreak suffered a drastic decline in audience during its first two months on air which coincided with a storm of press criticism of the show's performance. On 6 September, the debut edition of Daybreak averaged 1 million viewers for the 2.5 hours, an improvement on GMTV's final show. It was still beaten by rival BBC BreakfastBBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
which averaged a total audience of around 1.4 million viewers for the same slot. In the second week, average viewing figures fell to 800,000, and by 24 September, were down to 700,000. Ratings continued to fall in October, and ebbed to 545,000 on 27 October. Ratings recovered to 817,000 (including ITV1 HD viewers) on 1 November, averaging around 800,000 for that week. For the week ending 19 November, the average ratings were almost 840,000 per day, The recovery continued into December with the programme gaining an average one million viewers on 2 December and averaging 923,000 for that week. The recovery stalled in the Christmas holiday period and drew a new low of 390,000 viewers on 30 December when regular hosts Chiles and Bleakley were on leave. Daybreak made a slow start to the New Year with the Bank Holiday edition for 3 January averaging only 300,000 viewers. It bounced back to 700,000 the following day. For the first six weeks of 2011, ratings averaged around 800,000. Ratings remained at around 800,000 for much of the period but fell back to 690,000 in the April school holidays. Its daily viewing figures remained on average around the 800,000 mark for much of the first half of 2011, around half the average viewing figures for BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
. Ratings dipped to a new low during August 2011 with hopes for a recovery with the end of the summer holiday period and the show's ongoing relaunch. By November 2011, the ratings crisis led to the sacking of Chiles and Bleakley and the imminent appointment of new hosts to take over the show in early 2012.
Reaction in the media
Soon after the launch, ITV defended Daybreaks ailing performance, stating: 'ITV made a long-term investment in new breakfast programming and, after over five years of decline for GMTV, Daybreak is already closing the gap in year-on-year decline after just one month'. Veteran television host Esther RantzenEsther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
compared the ratings crisis hitting Daybreak to her experience as part of the team launching TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
in the early 1980s. Rantzen commented, 'simply sacking Adrian and Christine won't do the trick.' TV-am's former Good Morning Britain
Good Morning Britain
Good Morning Britain was TV-am's flagship breakfast television show throughout TV-am's time on air, broadcasting five days a week, initially from 7am until 9am. By 1985 the programme started at the earlier time of 6.15am and by 1988 the programme started at 6am. It had many different presenters...
co-presenter Anne Diamond
Anne Diamond
Anne Margaret Diamond is an English radio and television presenter and journalist. She hosted Good Morning Britain for TV-am and the similarly titled Good Morning... with Anne and Nick for BBC1, both with Nick Owen as her co-presenter...
defended Daybreak commenting that Chiles and Bleakley were 'not to blame' for the problems. Former GMTV host Fiona Phillips
Fiona Phillips
Fiona Phillips is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter.-Early life:Phillips was born in Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 1961. Her grandparents ran the Duke's Head pub in Church Street St. Paul's. Phillips attended Kingsmead Primary School...
claimed that the show had 'lost touch with its audience'. Veteran breakfast television host Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish television presenter, journalist and actress, best known as a presenter for TV-am, and later GMTV and ITV Breakfast, on Lorraine.-Early life:...
urged viewers to 'stick with the programme', noting that 'both TV-am and GMTV had nightmare starts...it all comes down to content.'
After two months as co-host, Bleakley said the low ratings since the debut were a "teething problem". She felt the ratings improvement of early November 2010 was a "turning point" with the programme "finding its feet", a view echoed by Chiles. Bleakley noted 'the corner that was slightly turned in the last two weeks has given us all a little bit of a lift, thankfully'. Chiles commented, 'It kind of feels it's getting better already...you feel it's us against the world at four o'clock in the morning.'
Awards
Daybreak was nominated for a National Television AwardNational Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
in the "Magazine Programme of the Year" category for 2011, but failed to make the final shortlist.