BBC Breakfast has celebrated its 40th anniversary by uniting presenters past and present to reminiscence about how the show has evolved over the years.
In a special episode on Tuesday, current hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay were joined by original presenters including newsreader Debbie Rix, weatherman Francis Wilson and astrologer Russell Grant, who featured on the formerly named Breakfast Time, which launched on January 17 1983.
They also marked the occasion with the return of singer Leo Sayer, who was a guest on the first episode, and an aerobic workout in London‘s Waterloo station led by the show’s original health and fitness guru Diana Moran.
‘To be interviewed by Selena Scott at that time, it was very special. She was the ‘Princess Diana of TV’ so it was quite incredible to walk into the studio,’ he said.
Sayer said the show ‘started a tradition that went all around the world’, with celebrities then needing to wake up earlier to promote their work.
The singer said he complimented the team on ‘coping’ back in 1983 because many of the TV crew complained to him that morning about having to get up so early, to which Nugent joked: ‘It’s not new anymore but we still do that.’
During her time on the breakfast programme, Moran, who was known as the ‘Green Goddess’, led a popular exercise segment.
To celebrate her return, she was joined by BBC Breakfast presenter Jayne McCubbin at Waterloo station, where they recreated a moment from the first episode when they surprised commuters by getting them on their feet to do a few aerobics.