The Radio 2 Breakfast Show

Last updated

The Radio 2 Breakfast Show
Genre Music, chat, news
Running time210 mins (1968–72)
120 mins (1972–78, 1986–91, 1994–2009)
150 mins (1978–86, 1993, 2010)
180 mins (1967, 1992, 2010–present)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s) English
Home station BBC Radio 2
Hosted by Zoe Ball
Starring Richie Anderson
Tina Daheley
Mike Williams
Produced byJordan Hemingway
Recording studio Broadcasting House, London (1967–2006, 2024-present)
Wogan House, London (2006–2024)
Original release30 September 1967
Audio format Stereophonic sound
Website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08h8z5t

The Radio 2 Breakfast Show refers to a range of programming on weekday mornings on BBC Radio 2 since the station's inception on 30 September 1967. The show's longest serving host to date was Sir Terry Wogan, who worked on the programme for over 29 years in two separate stints, from 3 April 1972 until 28 December 1984, and again from 4 January 1993 until 18 December 2009. The show's shortest serving host to date was Brian Hayes, who hosted the show from 6 January to 23 December 1992. Since 14 January 2019, the show has been hosted by Zoe Ball.

Contents

One of the show's longest running features has been "Pause for Thought", a short interlude of religious-related opinion at around 7:15am or 9:15am, similar to "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio 4's Today . In the 1960s-1970s, Rev. Frank Thewlis was a frequent "Pause for Thought" guest. He would later write a book Think Again, a compendium of his frequent talks given on the "Pause for Thought" segment. [1]

History

NoPresenterFromToDuration
1Various30 September 19672 January 19702 years, 94 days
2 John Dunn 5 January 197031 March 19722 years, 86 days
3 Terry Wogan 3 April 197228 December 198412 years, 269 days
4 Ken Bruce 7 January 19854 April 19861 year, 87 days
5 Derek Jameson 7 April 198620 December 19915 years, 257 days
6 Brian Hayes 6 January 199223 December 1992352 days
7 Terry Wogan 4 January 199318 December 200916 years, 348 days
8 Chris Evans 11 January 201024 December 20188 years, 347 days
9 Zoe Ball 14 January 2019present5 years, 213 days

Breakfast Special (Various presenters: 1967–1970)

From Radio 2's inception in 1967, a breakfast programme was broadcast in tandem with Radio 1 Breakfast , featuring a mix of news, music, traffic and weather reports. [2] Unlike its Radio 1 counterpart which had started with a single presenter, Breakfast Special was a continuation of a BBC Light Programme format which had been running since 1965 with a roster of presenters who hosted in weekly rotation. [3] These included Paul Hollingdale (the very first weekday presenter), Ray Moore, Peter Latham, Bruce Wyndham, and John Dunn. The music played was largely easy listening of the type with which Radio 2 would be particularly associated until the 1990s. An early feature was "Band of the Day", which would feature recordings of standards and traditional jazz by artists such as Sidney Sax, Frank Chacksfield, Syd Dale and Leon Young.

During its first year the Breakfast Show began at 5:30 am and ended at 8:30 am, at which time Radios 1 and 2 would broadcast the same programme, however in 1968 this was changed to a 9 am finish, after which Radio 2 would broadcast its own programming.

John Dunn (1970–1972)

Dunn became the first permanent presenter of the show on 5 January 1970, with Ray Moore providing cover. The show was still broadcast during this period between 5:30am and 9:00am.

Sir Terry Wogan (First tenure: 1972–1984)

On 3 April 1972, Dunn was replaced by Sir Terry Wogan (with Dunn moving to begin his long-running popular Drivetime show). During the Wogan era, the programme was also moved to a later start time of 7 am, with an Early Show preceding it, finishing at 9am. During this period Wogan's cover again principally came from Ray Moore, who presented the Early Show at other times. David Hamilton, who at the time was presenting the Afternoon Show also provided holiday cover. From 3 January 1978 Sir Jimmy Young's programme was moved earlier in the day to follow Wogan, and until the end of its run Wogan's programme was broadcast between 7.30am and 10.00am. Their banter-filled handover became something of a feature. Wogan remained in this role until 28 December 1984; as he left the station for a while to begin presenting his own chat show Wogan on BBC1.

Ken Bruce (1985–1986)

Wogan was replaced by Ken Bruce, whose first show aired on 7 January 1985. Bruce had presented various Radio 2 programmes after starting at BBC Radio Scotland. Bruce's tenure was brief, his only "crime" apparently being that he "wasn't Terry Wogan". In April 1986 he was moved to the mid-morning slot which, along with brief stints on both the late and early shows in 1990-91, he occupied until 3 March 2023. [4] During the Bruce era, the show was broadcast in a later timeslot between 8.00am and 10.30am.

Derek Jameson (1986–1991)

On 7 April 1986, Bruce was replaced by journalist Derek Jameson, in a move which proved controversial at the time, as Jameson, although known on television for his contributions to programmes such as What The Papers Say , was not recognised as a radio broadcaster. [5] Even though he made the show more news-based, Jameson became a popular broadcaster, regularly attracting audiences of 10 million, and remained in the role until 20 December 1991. During the Jameson era, the show was reduced by 30 minutes and moved to an earlier timeslot of between 7.30am and 9.30am. The show has continued to end at 9:30am ever since Jameson took over.

From the start of 1988 until August 1990, the programme featured a brief sports desk at 8.31 (an additional sports desk also preceded the start of the programme). The sports desk was removed from the programme when BBC radio's sports coverage transferred to the newly launched Radio 5.

Brian Hayes (1992)

On 6 January 1992, Jameson was replaced by Brian Hayes, who took over what was still a news-based show and proved to be an even more controversial choice, as his perceived acerbic manner was seen as being at odds with what the Radio 2 breakfast programme had become. Subtitled Good Morning UK!, it did not prove popular and it ended on 23 December 1992. During the Hayes era, the show was extended by one hour and was moved to an earlier start time of 6:30 am. Hayes remains the show's shortest serving presenter.

Sir Terry Wogan (Second tenure: 1993–2009)

Hayes was replaced by Sir Terry Wogan, who returned to the programme and the station on 4 January 1993, after the axing of his BBC TV chat show. From here on in, the news-based elements of the show were dropped, and it returned to its more traditional music and chat style format. Now entitled Wake Up to Wogan, it was the first time the breakfast show had explicitly been given a title other than a generic "breakfast" term, or simply the name of the host, During the second Wogan era, the show was at first reduced by 30 minutes and broadcast between 7:00 am and 9:30 am in its first year. From 17 January 1994 until the end of its run, the show was reduced by another 30 minutes to a 7.30 startup. In January 2006, the show moved to a studio in Western House (renamed Wogan House in 2016), where it was to remain until 2024.

On 7 September 2009, Wogan announced that he would step down as the show's host at the end of that year, moving to weekends to present a Sunday mid-morning show called Weekend Wogan , starting on 14 February 2010. He presented his final breakfast programme on 18 December 2009, which marked the end of 28 years over two stints working on the show.

Johnnie Walker then became the interim host of the programme in the period between Wogan's departure and Evans' arrival, from 21 December 2009 until 8 January 2010. Walker was a regular stand-in for Wogan during his later years on the show.

Chris Evans (2010–2018)

Wogan was replaced by Chris Evans, whose first show aired on 11 January 2010. For its first 10 months on air, the show was extended by 30 minutes and broadcast between 7:00 to 9:30, On 11 October 2010, following Sarah Kennedy's retirement from broadcasting in August, the show was on 6:30 to 9:30. [6] [7] On 3 September 2018, Evans announced his departure from the network and his plan to move to Virgin Radio. The last show was broadcast on 24 December 2018 and on 21 January 2019, Evans began the second incarnation of the show on Virgin Radio. [8]

The show then used guest hosts Paddy O'Connell, Sara Cox and Mark Goodier in the period between Evans' departure and Ball's arrival, from 26 December 2018 until 11 January 2019.

Zoe Ball (2019–present)

Evans was replaced by Zoe Ball, whose first show aired on 14 January 2019, continuing with the same timings used in the Hayes era and since 11 October 2010 of the Evans era. [9] The final breakfast show from Wogan House after 18 years was broadcast on 9 February 2024, and the show has now moved back into a studio in Broadcasting House.

Stand-in presenters

Stand-in presenters known to have covered the show include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Wogan</span> Irish-British radio and television broadcaster (1938–2016)

Sir Michael Terence Wogan was an Irish-British radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday breakfast programme Wake Up to Wogan regularly drew an estimated eight million listeners. He was believed to be the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Evans (presenter)</span> English radio, TV presenter (born 1966)

Christopher James Evans is an English television presenter, radio DJ and producer for radio and television. He started his broadcasting career working for Piccadilly Radio, Manchester, as a teenager, before moving to London as a presenter for the BBC's BBC Radio London and then Channel 4 television, where The Big Breakfast made him a star. Soon he was able to dictate highly favourable terms, allowing him to broadcast on competing radio and TV stations. Slots like Radio 1 Breakfast and TFI Friday provided a mix of celebrity interviews, music and comic games, delivered in an irreverent style that attracted high ratings, though often also generated significant numbers of complaints. By 2000 he was the UK's highest paid entertainer, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. In the tax year to April 2017, he was the BBC's highest-paid presenter, earning between £2.2m and £2.25m annually.

John Churchill Dunn was a British disc jockey and radio presenter known for hosting the weekday drivetime show on BBC Radio 2 between 1976 and 1998. Dunn's career spanned more than 30 years and he was named Radio Personality of the Year three times.

Sarah Mary Kennedy MBE is a British retired TV and radio broadcaster. She presented her daily early morning radio show, The Dawn Patrol, on BBC Radio 2 from 1993 to 2010.

<i>Breakfast Time</i> (British TV programme) Television series

Breakfast Time is British television's first national breakfast television programme. It was broadcast from 17 January 1983 until 29 September 1989 on BBC1 across the United Kingdom. It was broadcast for the first time just over two weeks before TV-am, the commercial breakfast television station.

<i>Wake Up to Wogan</i> Former British radio programme (1993–2009)

Wake Up to Wogan (WUTW) was the incarnation of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show that aired each weekday morning from 4 January 1993 to 18 December 2009. It was the most-listened-to radio show in the United Kingdom, and the flagship breakfast programme broadcast on BBC Radio 2. The show was presented by Terry Wogan, who had previously presented the breakfast show between 1972 and 1984, but the title WUTW was only added at the start of his second tenure. Wogan replaced Brian Hayes, who had hosted the breakfast show during 1992.

Charles Alexis Nove is a British radio broadcaster who currently presents the weekday breakfast show for classical music station Scala Radio.

This is a list of events in British radio during 1998.

This is a list of events in British radio during 1992.

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show is the name given to two versions of a radio programme hosted by broadcaster Chris Evans in the United Kingdom. The first was the incarnation of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show that aired every weekday morning between 11 January 2010 and 24 December 2018. Evans had taken over from Terry Wogan, who ended his stint as the station's morning presenter on 18 December 2009. On 3 September 2018, it was announced by Evans live on air that he would be leaving the network. The show broadcast its final episode on BBC Radio 2 on 24 December 2018. On 3 October 2018, it was announced by Evans live on air that Zoe Ball would take over the slot, with her first broadcast airing on 14 January 2019. Evans meanwhile started the second incarnation of the show on Virgin Radio that began on 21 January 2019.

This is a list of events in British radio during 1984.

<i>Weekend Wogan</i> Radio show

Weekend Wogan was the incarnation of the Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 14 February 2010 to 8 November 2015. The show was presented by Sir Terry Wogan, which marked his return to the airwaves following his departure as presenter of the weekday breakfast show, in December 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio 2</span> British national radio station

BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. The 'About Radio 2' BBC webpage says: "With a repertoire covering more than 40 years, Radio 2 plays the widest selection of music on the radio—from classic and mainstream pop to a specialist portfolio including classical, country, folk, jazz, soul, rock 'n' roll, gospel and blues."

Christopher Elliot Stuart was a British journalist, songwriter and radio and television presenter and producer. He was executive producer of the BBC Two quiz series Only Connect. As a presenter, he fronted the early breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 between 1988 and 1991. He was also one of the first presenters on BBC Radio Wales.

This is a timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 1, a British national radio station which began in September 1967.

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 2, a British national radio station which began broadcasting in September 1967.

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 3, a British national radio station which began broadcasting in September 1967.

Radio 1's Weekend Breakfast Show is a radio show that is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on weekends. It was presented by Adele Roberts until her departure from Radio 1 in May 2023. It's currently hosted by Sam MacGregor and Danni Diston. The show was moved from the BBC's headquarters in London to BBC Cymru Wales' headquarters in Cardiff.

This is a timeline of the history of breakfast television in the United Kingdom.

This is a timeline of the history of the broadcasting of breakfast radio programmes on national stations in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ Think again: broadcast talks from 'Pause for thought'. Worldcat.org. OCLC   16436546 . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "BBC Radio 2 – 1 November 1967 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ↑ "Light Programme – 3 January 1966 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "Ken Bruce signs off final Radio 2 show as BBC career comes to an end". news.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "Derek Jameson". 12 September 2012 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  6. ↑ Khan, Urmee (7 January 2010). "Moira Stuart returns to the BBC on Chris Evans' radio show". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  7. ↑ Savage, Mark (11 January 2010). "What the critics say: Chris Evans' Radio 2 breakfast show debut". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  8. ↑ "Chris Evans to leave Radio 2 breakfast show for Virgin". BBC News. BBC. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  9. ↑ "Zoe Ball to present Radio 2 Breakfast Show". BBC News. BBC. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.