Turning back the clock as BBC Breakfast turns 40

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Can you imagine a blank TV screen on BBC One? I can’t. I was born in 1994 and the TV for me on the BBC was always filled with content, hour by hour.

But for those growing up in the early 80s BBC One was blank before Breakfast Time was launched.

Our lives now are filled with an abundance of media, 24 hours a day.

But it's hard to imagine the culture of news before Breakfast, with newspapers and radio providing the main source of current affairs and politics at the breakfast table.

That trend moved to families eating their cereal watching presenters on the ‘red sofa’.

The aim of the programme or keynote, according to its first editor, Ron Neil, was relaxation.

The programme has kept the magazine style over the years - news was every half hour with headlines every quarter-hour.

For the first six months Ron Neil said they were experimenting to see what the audience wanted, but as the number of households with TVs grew, so did Breakfast’s audience, which today stands at five million viewers on average per programme.

As a young lad obsessed with the weather, the introduction of regular forecasts in the morning was inspiring.

At the time, the computer-generated graphics appeared fresh and new.

They broke away from the symbols that we all identified as BBC Weather, and gave us satellite imagery, computer-generated clouds that looked as if they had been done on Microsoft Paint and a tilted map! I loved it!

Looking back now it’s easy to see how weather forecasting has changed, and how coarse the graphics were back then.

Now, our forecasts are incredibly detailed. We have much more data available to us, and use the highest-resolution weather model.

What hasn’t changed though, is our aim to give you the best forecast possible, helping you make the most of your day and understand the wider story.

I still can’t believe that I am doing the job that Francis Wilson started 40 years ago.

Diana Moran was the queen of fitness on the original Breakfast Time programme and her routines were a firm favourite.

She's been talking about her unmissable green outfit, which earned her the title of the Green Goddess.

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It was 2011 and there was constant talk in Manchester of the Northern Powerhouse, an initiative to boost communities in the north through transport, culture and innovation.

In 2004 the government announced its desire that a large part of the BBC should move outside of London.

I remember my teacher, who was encouraging us to use these opportunities, talking about something called ‘MediaCityUK’ but never really understanding the benefit it would bring to us as students.

In 2006 the Salford Quays site was chosen outside Manchester and in July 2010 the BBC announced that Breakfast would move to the area.

Since 2011, the BBC has been operational at MediaCityUK, producing thousands of hours of content for multimedia platforms such as BBC Sport, Children’s and Radio Drama, to name a few.

Slowly but surely this mini chrome city of glass buildings started to grow next to the cold waters of the Quays. I didn’t know at the time it would come to be the start of my career and thousands of other aspiring journalists.

The process allowed the BBC to decentralise and offer thousands of jobs to media hopefuls in the north and away from the capital.

It also allowed the coverage to include a wider range of accents, picking up vox pops from people walking to games at Old Trafford or going for a shop at the Lowry Outlet.

Broadcasting, for some reason, felt out of touch at school and it felt daring to say something like: “One day I want to work for the BBC”. But MediaCity brought that to us, it brought us that possibility.

Even now in 2023 the BBC’s location in Salford Quays has become a source of pride for a lot of Mancunians. For me personally it meant opportunity had come to my door step, when before it felt very far from my local rainy city.

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All this excitement has jogged a few memories for some BBC News alumni. We've heard from one former colleague this morning who was able to paint a picture of production techniques in the days before digital.

Quote Message: I did night shifts for a while in the very early days of Breakfast Time in my original BBC role as a film and VT librarian. The library was situated next to a cigarette factory. It was a bit knackered but the contents were invaluable.

I did night shifts for a while in the very early days of Breakfast Time in my original BBC role as a film and VT librarian. The library was situated next to a cigarette factory. It was a bit knackered but the contents were invaluable.

Quote Message: I was based at TV Centre and had to find library news footage to illustrate stories. I'd then jump into a cab and take the film (or more usually) tape down to the now defunct Lime Grove Studios, the rabbit warren of offices where the show was first based. I seem to remember the miners’ strikes was a popular subject.

I was based at TV Centre and had to find library news footage to illustrate stories. I'd then jump into a cab and take the film (or more usually) tape down to the now defunct Lime Grove Studios, the rabbit warren of offices where the show was first based. I seem to remember the miners’ strikes was a popular subject.

Quote Message: And on one occasion the computer system went down shortly before the show went out - the production team suddenly pulled typewriters out of cupboards and began bashing out scripts manually. from Chris Lansdown Former BBC journalist

And on one occasion the computer system went down shortly before the show went out - the production team suddenly pulled typewriters out of cupboards and began bashing out scripts manually.

From falling in the swimming pool to introducing the wrong guest, live TV comes with its challenges.

Our colleagues at BBC Breakfast over the years have experienced these moments and dealt with each gracefully, but they haven’t gone unnoticed or unrecorded.

We’ve put together a montage of these moments for you, as we look back, 40 years on.

The early morning news programme started on 17 January 1983, which set off a new era of breakfast television. But live coverage has its own risks and even in that first show, not everything went according to plan.

Join us as we take a look back at some of the unexpected, funny moments from the programme’s time.

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If there’s one thing that says BBC Breakfast, it’s our bright red sofa - and we’ve had one since the very start.

On the first day of BBC Breakfast Time in 1983, presenters Frank Bough and Selina Scott sat on a modular red leather settee - purchased from Harrods.

But whatever happened to the original? I put out an appeal on Twitter. Some viewers remembered part of the sofa being auctioned for Children In Need.

Members of the production team thought it had been dumped due to damage. But a tip-off from BBC staffer Luke Deal finally revealed all.

The last remaining section of the sofa was given to presenter Debbie Greenwood as a leaving gift when the programme was relaunched in 1986.

Debbie, who now works as a wedding celebrant, invited me to her London home where she let me sit on her squishy and squeaky piece of TV history.

“It’s only one seat. One section. But it means a lot to me,” Debbie told me. “I’d never ever get rid of it.”

And the best bit? Debbie still sits on the original red sofa to watch BBC Breakfast today.

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Debbie Rix was the original newsreader on Breakfast Time in 1983. On that very first programme she had her makeup done with the message “wakey wakey!! Good Luck” written on the mirror.

This morning, she’s back in the BBC Breakfast makeup chair as we welcome some of the original presenter line-up to the studio.

Debbie will be on the red sofa with Astrologer Russell Grant – get ready to hear your horoscopes!

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She’s back and she’s wearing her signature green outfit!

Diana Moran was the queen of fitness on the original Breakfast Time programme and her routines were a firm favourite.

She was never seen without her green catsuit, but originally she was planning to wear yellow…until bosses told her she looked like a canary! So, the Green Goddess was born.

On the very first episode of Breakfast Time, Diana launched her exercise classes at Waterloo Station – this morning she’s back recreating some of those famous moves.

You've been sharing your memories of BBC Breakfast on social media this morning to celebrate the programme's 40th anniversary.

"The #BBCBreakfast clock! That brought back memories of parents watching Breakfast and me being bored and wanting to watch cartoons (I was 6). Now I’m 46 and I’m the one watching," tweets Karen.

"I remember watching the first ever #BBCBreakfast as a kid and thinking, “Oh great. More news. Oooo, there’s a little clock!", writes Barry.

"Happy 40th birthday #BBCBreakfast. One of my most humiliating job interviews (about 16 years ago) was to be on the team. Interview went pretty smoothly but in the feedback the editor gave me a gentle reminder that when you work in TV you have 'viewers not listeners'," says Rebecca.

While Dani has paid tribute in a very original way:

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As BBC Breakfast celebrates its 40th birthday, it’s a special morning in the output gallery.

It looked a little different back in 1983…but can you spot the similarities?

When it launched, it was said that Breakfast Time had the most sophisticated electronic newsroom in the world.

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Quote Message: On 17 January 1983 I was in the maternity unit of Andover War Memorial hospital after giving birth to my son Craig on 12 January in Winchester hospital. The unit had a dining room with a TV so on that day we were sat eating breakfast watching the first episode of BBC Breakfast." from Dawn Matthews

On 17 January 1983 I was in the maternity unit of Andover War Memorial hospital after giving birth to my son Craig on 12 January in Winchester hospital. The unit had a dining room with a TV so on that day we were sat eating breakfast watching the first episode of BBC Breakfast."

Quote Message: I started my day early around 6.30am. My mum was a nurse in north London. I clearly remember waking up early on the first BBC Breakfast show in 1983. My mum had no idea about early morning TV, but she continued to watch the show and she would share news stories with me when I woke up before heading to work. I still love BBC Breakfast TV and it holds a special place in my heart of the fun mornings I shared with my mum." from Carol Pieters

I started my day early around 6.30am. My mum was a nurse in north London. I clearly remember waking up early on the first BBC Breakfast show in 1983. My mum had no idea about early morning TV, but she continued to watch the show and she would share news stories with me when I woke up before heading to work. I still love BBC Breakfast TV and it holds a special place in my heart of the fun mornings I shared with my mum."

Quote Message: Myself and my wonderful wife got married on the Saturday before, which was the 15 January 1983. I was in hospital the following day having an emergency operation to get my tonsils removed. I remember watching your programme from my hospital bed. We are off to the Maldives for our 40th wedding anniversary. If I am able I will be watching your programme from my hotel room. Congratulations on 40 years." from Nigel and Julie Binge

Myself and my wonderful wife got married on the Saturday before, which was the 15 January 1983. I was in hospital the following day having an emergency operation to get my tonsils removed. I remember watching your programme from my hospital bed. We are off to the Maldives for our 40th wedding anniversary. If I am able I will be watching your programme from my hotel room. Congratulations on 40 years."

It started with well wishes from around the world, from broadcasters in China and Australia, congratulating the BBC on its first Breakfast Time episode.

On Monday 17 January 1983 the dawn of a new era in British broadcasting began on BBC One with the launch of the programme. Frank Bough and Selina Scott were among the first presenters of it.

The sofa still resembled a shade of red but many other things were different. We’ve put together the first moments of the programme. Watch it in just over a minute.

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Frank Bough and Selina Scott were Breakfast Time’s main presenters when it first started in 1983.

Since then the show has seen many famous names come and go, including…

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Jeremy Paxman, who was one of the programme’s presenters from 1986 to 1989.

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Kirsty Wark, Jill Dando and John Stapleton all hosted the programme in the late 80s.

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Recognise these two? BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth started on the show in the nineties, when it was known as BBC Breakfast News, and was joined by Jeremy Bowen for its next rebrand in 2000 as BBC Breakfast.

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Perhaps one of the most familiar faces over the years - Bill Turnbull presented BBC Breakfast for an impressive 15 years from 2001 to 2016.

Every Friday the 13th at the Black Lion pub in Hammersmith, the original team of 36 engineers working on Breakfast Time meet up and grab a pint – just like the old days.

One of their favourite stories to recount is when they accidentally fired up the entire BBC transmission network overnight, meaning the live output at 4am on BBC One was of the engineers lining up the cameras getting ready for Breakfast Time…oops!

Last Friday 13th January was no different, and 16 members of the gang met up and sent BBC Breakfast a very special happy birthday message.

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Original Breakfast Time weather presenter Francis Wilson is in the building!

The map and graphics might be a little more sophisticated these days, but Francis is keeping his eagle eye over Carol Kirkwood as she presents the forecasts on BBC Breakfast this morning.

Then at 08:45 on BBC One, it’s time for Francis to get back in front of the cameras himself and take a step back in time to bring viewers the forecast.

Lots of you have been getting in touch to share your memories of the first time you watched Breakfast and how you've joined us to start your day ever since.

And here are some of the moments from the last four decades which have stood out for you.

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History was made at 06:30 on 17 January 1983 when Breakfast Time – the first name for the show - became the UK’s first regular morning television programme.

Presented by Frank Bough and Selina Scott, it combined news and sport with lighter features, such as astrology with Russell Grant and keep fit segments with the Green Goddess, Diana Moran.

The show was relaunched as Breakfast News in 1989 and now had a desk in line with the other national news bulletins.

By 1997 the programme had a 06:00 start and the first half hour was devoted entirely to business, with its own identity - Business Breakfast.

A much bigger relaunch came on 2 October 2000 with the programme becoming, simply, Breakfast, as we now know it. It had a lighter, brighter look with new presenters.

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It’s time to pull on the leotards and get moving…the Green Goddess is back!

Diana Moran’s iconic morning fitness routines were a firm fixture on Breakfast Time.

A potato farm, dry ski slope and a Royal Navy vessel were just some of the weird and wonderful places the Green Goddess got hearts pumping.

On the very first episode, she coached bemused travellers at Waterloo Station and this morning at 8.45am she’ll be returning to the programme to recreate that famous routine, entertaining commuters in true 80s style.

Here’s a look back at just a few of her iconic routines.