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The Big Breakfast is back!

One-off special in 2021 / Split from The Big Breakfast (August 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
AA
aaron_scotland
Out of interest, How was the breakfast program transmitted? I assume as it was daily they had a coax/fibre line to BT Tower? Or microwave? Curious if any of that still exists..
VM
VMPhil
Out of interest, How was the breakfast program transmitted? I assume as it was daily they had a coax/fibre line to BT Tower? Or microwave? Curious if any of that still exists..

Why, are you hoping they’ll use them to give that authentic ’90s picture quality? Laughing
HC
Hatton Cross
Not in the early days.
It was MCR'ed from the house to a mid-point receiver somewhere between Bow and Channel 4, which then sent it to Channel 4.

This was once described in detail by Chris, who explained they were making plans to pre-record the show in 30 min blocks and courier over to Channel 4, as the 'mid point transmitter' had blown over during weekend storms that hit London, and they only realised when doing the signal checks at 6am.

They managed to get access and realign the MCR somewhere around 6.30, so could do the show live.
MO
Mockah
I think this might be the only 'kids' programming to be broadcast on Channel 4 in years.

Kids is quotations.
BR
Brekkie
So Mo Gilligan will host a breakfast show for one day. Probably a bit of a stretch to say it's coming back, but if it were he wouldn't be a bad choice.

I'd much rather see a proper reunion special in 2022 though to mark 30 years since it began. Guess this could be a back door pilot though but as much as we've needed an entertaining alternative to start the day in recent years I do fear a revival could end up being more Rick and Sharron than Johnny and Denise or Chris and Gaby.
Last edited by Brekkie on 25 August 2020 5:22pm
AA
aaron_scotland
Out of interest, How was the breakfast program transmitted? I assume as it was daily they had a coax/fibre line to BT Tower? Or microwave? Curious if any of that still exists..

Why, are you hoping they’ll use them to give that authentic ’90s picture quality? Laughing


Aye why not! Also Im a nosy TV Geek and wondered if someone here knew Very Happy
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Not in the early days.
It was MCR'ed from the house to a mid-point receiver somewhere between Bow and Channel 4, which then sent it to Channel 4.

This was once described in detail by Chris, who explained they were making plans to pre-record the show in 30 min blocks and courier over to Channel 4, as the 'mid point transmitter' had blown over during weekend storms that hit London, and they only realised when doing the signal checks at 6am.

They managed to get access and realign the MCR somewhere around 6.30, so could do the show live.


I think the midpoint was on top of a block of flats? I recall Evans had a hand drawn diagram. I remember Evans thanking Peter Smith because they had managed to get on air via ITN.
VM
VMPhil
Out of interest, How was the breakfast program transmitted? I assume as it was daily they had a coax/fibre line to BT Tower? Or microwave? Curious if any of that still exists..

Why, are you hoping they’ll use them to give that authentic ’90s picture quality? Laughing


Aye why not! Also Im a nosy TV Geek and wondered if someone here knew Very Happy

Oh we all are, I was just amused at the image I had in my head of them simply hooking up to whatever unused ports there still are from nearly 20 years ago!
JB
JasonB
I think this might be the only 'kids' programming to be broadcast on Channel 4 in years.

Kids is quotations.


The Big Breakfast wasn't any kind of kids programme. They had cartoons on it in the early days but apart from that it was a family show.

Here is the first edition in full from 1992:
Jon, Whataday and Brekkie gave kudos
GE
thegeek Founding member
Out of interest, How was the breakfast program transmitted? I assume as it was daily they had a coax/fibre line to BT Tower? Or microwave? Curious if any of that still exists..

If there was any kind of ground-based connectivity left over when the show finished, it would have likely been SD (if it was even digital), and also wouldn't have survived the rather large infrastructure project next door which started a few years later.

Was the big satellite dish in the garden just a prop?
HC
Hatton Cross
Evans said once it was for receiving the OB pictures for 'Down Your Doorstep'

What looked like a 1.5-2m dish for that? Given where it was pointing, why would they be using a satellite in geo-orbit somewhere over North America for that throwaway filler!?

I'm with you. Nothing more than a nice looking prop/rainwater catcher.
DJ
DJGM


I think this might be the only 'kids' programming to be broadcast on Channel 4 in years.

Kids is quotations.



The Big Breakfast wasn't any kind of kids programme. They had cartoons on it in the early days
but apart from that it was a family show.

Here is the first edition in full from 1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpD8whbFZQ


The opening titles are silent ... what gives?!? That can't surely be a copyright restriction on the original Big Breakfast theme tune!

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