Louise Minchin to Leave Breakfast

[scottishtv]

I hate to be that guy, but I think these big send-offs should be done off-screen.

I can forgive them for going outside (as the studio is so small), but it did feel a touch excessive with the music, her husband and dad there etc. I think Sian William's last day was appropriately done - a best bits VT, some nice messages from viewers and the the team, and the chance for the presenter to say goodbye.

That said, I liked Louise's presenting style - very down to earth, no ego, very relatable. Her interview with Chris Witty on 4th March last year was when he stated "a wave is almost certainly coming, but we do not know the size". She asked sensible questions, he gave very clear answers in a calm way, but it was the first time it really dawned on me Covid was going to be quite serious.

[Rolling News]

I liked Louise as well. She even replied to one of my tweets the other day, nice lady.

[all new Phil]

I hate to be that guy, but I think these big send-offs should be done off-screen.

I can forgive them for going outside (as the studio is so small), but it did feel a touch excessive with the music, her husband and dad there etc. I think Sian William's last day was appropriately done - a best bits VT, some nice messages from viewers and the the team, and the chance for the presenter to say goodbye.

That said, I liked Louise's presenting style - very down to earth, no ego, very relatable. Her interview with Chris Witty on 4th March last year was when he stated "a wave is almost certainly coming, but we do not know the size". She asked sensible questions, he gave very clear answers in a calm way, but it was the first time it really dawned on me Covid was going to be quite serious.

Totally. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t tend to watch the show but I think she’s excellent. I just think sometimes these shows can get stuck in their bubble a little.

[Newsroom]

Would you care to expand on that?

Yeah, please do. What a ridiculous thing to say. It's documented all over social media they are friends outside of work. Maybe you've been reading the Express a little too much.

as a long time viewer, it’s always felt rather forced compared to previous on-air teams. Today’s farewell didn’t do loads to challenge that. But it’s fine, I can tell that this is one of the sacred cows of TVF. Also whilst you’re right to question the Express, not sure invoking ‘social media’ makes your argument any stronger

Oh come on, it's was very warming. They weren't even sure whether social distancing was to be followed during half of it. In regards to 'social media' - apologies for not making it clear, but it's hers and Dan Walker's social media I was referring to, therefore my argument is solid. Wink wink back.

[Steve Williams]

I do get what you mean, this sort of thing can always seem a bit self-indulgent, but there'll be a lot of viewers out there for whom Louise has been regular company in the mornings for many years and I'm sure lots of them will have appreciated the send-off.

I would agree with this, even when Breakfast Time/News was at its most serious and relentless they always marked the departures of the presenters in suitable fashion, and because of the time it's on, the Breakfast presenters do become part of the audience's lives in a way that other news presenters don't, and especially so after the last eighteen months. I'm sure today's programme was hugely appreciated by the vast majority of the audience, and I didn't find any of it "forced" at all. Besides, the news, regional news, sport and weather all got on in that last 45 minutes so it wasn't like it was riding roughshod over the running order.

There have been examples of people not wanting a send-off, or even a big send-off, when they leave, but it's like when Jimmy Hill left the Beeb in 1998 and said he didn't want them to make any reference to that on his last show because he wasn't retiring and intended to appear elsewhere (which he did, on Sky) and Des Lynam said he got loads of complaints that they hadn't done anything. David Coleman was another one.

I was talking about this to Richard Marson on Twitter a few months back, when I said that one thing I was always very impressed by was how adult Blue Peter was regarding the departure of Richard Bacon, in that they mentioned it on air (not just Lorraine Heggessey's message, but by the team themselves on the following show) and after that they continued to refer to him and show clips of him where relevant, like any presenter, and indeed every presenter has had a decent send-off, even in the case of people like Michael Sundin and Joel Defries where it was the programme's decision to drop them. Richard Marson said he thought that was very important, because even if there are issues and disagreements behind the scenes, the audience aren't aware of any of that, and that the arrival and departure of a presenter should be a big deal. Compare that to something like The Big Breakfast and SMTV where presenters abruptly disappeared and were never mentioned again, no matter how stupid it looked. I know people aren't suggesting Louise should have just finished her shift as normal and made no reference to it, but the presenters are the face of the show and the audience know and like them, and this is big news.

I'm just surprised nobody's mentioned all the exciting shots they did of the plaza and that they should do them every day or even move out into the plaza permanently.

[Asa]

Some lovely drone shots, especially the one over the canal after the final regional news.

Fair play to them for putting in that clip of Louise saying "News 25" I recorded for TV Home back in the day. The picture quality was...less than ideal.

[adamiow]

I am guessing they went outside as part of COVID procedures, as there were a fair number of them and they want to be seen to be doing something to mitigate the numbers. Other than being outside, it is probably pretty much as they would have done pre COVID, so nice to see.

[Tom]

Some lovely drone shots, especially the one over the canal after the final regional news.

Fair play to them for putting in that clip of Louise saying "News 25" I recorded for TV Home back in the day. The picture quality was...less than ideal.

Yes, I did enjoy the clip as it did the rounds on the blooper shows for a while. Also, nice to see Jon Sopel as I remember him and Louise presenting together on the News Channel/News 24.

[ginnyfan]

Good luck to her!

I still don't get the ''after 20 years on the red sofa'' phrase that has been repeated over and over by BBC official profiles. Hasn't she been a regular News channel presenter in the 2000s while many other people presented Breakfast? Or was that all a dream?

[Stuart]

I'm just surprised nobody's mentioned all the exciting shots they did of the plaza and that they should do them every day or even move out into the plaza permanently.

That's not a good idea. I was dragged up in Manchester for the first 20 years of my life. It's wet, cloudy and windy most of the time.

You don't want to be outside with electrical equipment. Mainly because someone will steal it while you get a cuppa :?

[Brekkie]

Good luck to her!

I still don't get the ''after 20 years on the red sofa'' phrase that has been repeated over and over by BBC official profiles. Hasn't she been a regular News channel presenter in the 2000s while many other people presented Breakfast? Or was that all a dream?

Is odd when to my knowledge she didn't become a regular until 2012. May have hosted occasionally beforehand but IIRC she turned up in relief roles elsewhere too.

When did Breakfast switch to the familiar three day week model?

[Andrew]

Good luck to her!

I still don't get the ''after 20 years on the red sofa'' phrase that has been repeated over and over by BBC official profiles. Hasn't she been a regular News channel presenter in the 2000s while many other people presented Breakfast? Or was that all a dream?

Is odd when to my knowledge she didn't become a regular until 2012. May have hosted occasionally beforehand but IIRC she turned up in relief roles elsewhere too.

When did Breakfast switch to the familiar three day week model?

It was when they moved to Salford wasn’t it? Before then they’d did four/three, rather than three/three/one day of randoms they do now.

And regarding the ‘20 years on the sofa’ that to me means she’s spent 20 years as a main host appearing most weeks. Random one offs doesn’t really count, especially as they would probably have been in the News 24 studio on a weekend, when weekend breakfast used to feel like a completely different programme

[Brekkie]

... and didn't have a sofa.

[Rolling News]

Yep- Louise’s first appearance on the red sofa wasn’t until December 2006.

[itsrobert]

The 20 years on the sofa claim is the most tenuous and over-inflated thing I have ever heard.

If she appeared on Breakfast in 2001 - and it's a big if - it was at most as either a relief bulletin reader (Moira's role) or the presenter of the weekend/bank holiday version of the programme. And certainly not in any regular pattern - ad hoc at best. She most definitely was not on the weekday sofa. In 2001 she was a low-ranking News 24 relief presenter and there's no way she would have been let loose on weekday Breakfast.

Interestingly, the clip during the montage of her with "24" on the inset is Moira's original Breakfast bulletin seat. My guess is that is likely to date from 2002-03 and probably not 2001. The inset graphic matches that used in N6 after the low-key 2002 refresh.

For the record, I'm not a fan of the overblown self-indulgent send-off, either. *This* is how it's done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG-jpYeb3lU