Breakfast News facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Breakfast News
BBC Breakfast News final Logo, from 2 June 1997 to 15 September 2000
Created by	BBC News
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	2 October 1989 (1989-10-02) – 15 September 2000 (2000-09-15)
Chronology
Preceded by	Breakfast Time
Followed by	BBC Breakfast

Breakfast News was a popular morning news show in the United Kingdom. It aired on BBC One from October 2, 1989, until September 15, 2000. Before this, it was known as Breakfast Time. The show was supposed to start earlier, but technical problems delayed it by two weeks.

Breakfast News was designed to give viewers constant updates. It had news summaries every 15 minutes. Weather and local news were shown every 30 minutes. The show also featured reviews of the day's newspapers. Regular updates on business news were also a key part of the programme.

In November 1989, something new happened. The House of Commons (where UK laws are made) started showing its meetings on TV. Because of this, a part of Breakfast News (from 8:00 to 8:15 AM) was also shown on BBC Two. This was part of a new news hour. It included a look back at what happened in Parliament the day before.

The Look of the Show: How It Changed

Breakfast News changed its on-screen look three times.

First Look (1989-1993)

The first design of the show lasted until April 8, 1993. It had its own unique style.

Second Look (1993-1997)

On April 13, 1993, the show got a new look. It started being presented from the same TV studio as the main BBC news bulletins. These were the One, Six, and Nine O'Clock News.

Final Look (1997-2000)

The last big change happened on June 2, 1997. The word 'BBC' was removed from its title. On screen, it was simply called Breakfast News. During this time, the show's style became more relaxed. A sofa was brought back into the set. There were more special features and more friendly chats between the presenters.

The very last episode of Breakfast News aired on September 15, 2000. On October 2, 2000, the show was relaunched with a new name: BBC Breakfast.

Weekend Editions

BBC Breakfast News usually aired only from Monday to Friday. It did not have regular weekend shows. However, during the early days of the 1991 Gulf War, special weekend editions were broadcast.

Other TV channels like ITV had morning shows that aired seven days a week. These included TV-am and later GMTV. In September 1991, the BBC started a short, five-minute news summary on weekends. The Saturday edition aired at 7:25 AM. This bulletin was not shown from the usual Breakfast News studio. Instead, it came from the main BBC News studio in the newsroom.

The short Saturday morning news was stopped in autumn 1999. The last one aired on September 11, 1999. By then, BBC Two was already showing an hour of news from BBC News 24 on Saturday mornings. This show, called "Weekend 24," aired from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. It had started on January 31, 1998. So, the short Saturday news on BBC One was no longer really needed.

On Sundays, the short morning news aired at 9:10 AM. This later became part of the Breakfast with Frost programme. That show started on January 3, 1993.

Business Breakfast

Business Breakfast was a daily news show focused on business. It aired from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM. It was shown right before Breakfast News. This programme ran from January 4, 1993, until 2000.

At first, Business Breakfast was a small part of Breakfast News. It aired from 6:34 AM to 6:55 AM. From January 4, 2000, until September 15, 2000, Business Breakfast became part of the main BBC Breakfast News show. Breakfast News then started earlier, at 6:00 AM every weekday. Business news remained a key part of the first hour of the programme. This setup changed when BBC Breakfast launched in October 2000.

Breakfast News Extra

Breakfast News Extra started on February 5, 1996. It was an attempt to compete with other morning shows. The programme was presented from the Breakfast News office. It featured a blue sofa and was hosted by Juliet Morris.

This show was short-lived. It was cancelled in the summer of 1997. The last episode aired on August 29, 1997. By this time, the main BBC Breakfast News had already changed its look. It had a new studio with sofas alongside the main desk.

Notable Presenters

Many well-known presenters worked on Breakfast News. Here are some of them: