BBC Breakfast team of past and present on programme's 40th anniversary

How has it lasted so long? "At breakfast, viewers want people who are familiar," says Naga, who first appeared on the show in 2009. "The programme has always been able to channel what people are experiencing in real life."

Charlie, who joined the programme in 2006, maintains that although the ratio between hard news and fluff may ebb and flow, the principle has always been the same: "Trust, familiarity and a rapport with the audience. Every day is different, but we tailor the product to suit what is best for the viewer."

Was it always thus? Certainly not. Forty years ago, Breakfast Time, as it was then called, was a show fronted by people in jumpers, most notably those belonging to presenter Frank Bough. There was less evidence of politicians or a news agenda. Breakfast Time was light entertainment; Radio 4’s Today was where the politicians hung out and the daily agenda was set.

How things have changed. Ministers now regularly appear and in 2021, BBC Breakfast won the prestigious Scoop of the Year from the Royal Television Society for its coverage of the free school meal debate centred around Sally Nugent’s interview with Marcus Rashford and his quest to end child food poverty. And all the while still maintaining the notion of a "family" of presenters sitting on sofas.

For Charlie, BBC Breakfast achieved a national step change at one key moment. "The pandemic. That was a moment when news meant so much to people. If you were looking towards a moment in time when it delivered, that was it. This programme, I believe, is news, front and centre. The Marcus Rashford story was so crucial, because it resonated with the audience. He became a mouthpiece of what people were thinking in their daily lives."

Yet it’s one thing to be news "front and centre" within a 30-minute bulletin. Over three hours, there have to be some quite crazy gear changes between light and shade. The show is now fronted by Jon Kay and Sally Nugent from Monday to Wednesday and Charlie and Naga from Thursday to Saturday, and this is a skill they must all share.

"Well, in those moments, honesty is the best policy," says Charlie. "This is how live broadcasting has changed. The audience trusts our ability to broadcast difficult things. If you are coming off the back of a difficult story, you need to be straightforward about it."

Naga agrees. "Everyone knows that laughter is part of life, and so when we do those handbrake turns out of a very challenging item and move into something lighter, we know our viewers will manage, because they want us to reflect real life. Recently we interviewed three dads who had all lost their daughters to suicide. And in the course of the interview, we had light and shade and even a bit of a laugh. They were real people who laugh and cry."

How do they regard ITV1’s Good Morning Britain, currently presided over by former BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid?

"I think competition is great," says Charlie, slightly unconvincingly. "I don’t think any morning TV programme is arrogant enough to think the whole audience only wants to see them. But we stick to our ethos, and it resonates with our audience."

Indeed, it seems to. The current ratings reveal that since the pandemic, BBC Breakfast has stolen a march on ITV, particularly since Piers Morgan’s departure. "We are all journalists trying to facilitate the telling of a story," says Naga. "Good luck to them."

Reid left the BBC sofa in 2014, two years after the show moved from London to Salford. Naga’s view of the controversial relocation? "I’ve seen access to things improve rather than diminish. It’s a good thing to be spread better across the UK and hear different accents on the show."

So, the questions that people always ask? "For me, it’s always the same," says Naga. "What time do you get up in the morning? My first alarm goes off at 3:45am. I have a very tight schedule, and a very organised morning, my work outfit is always laid out the night before. But I do have a system of snoozing before getting out of bed."

Charlie shakes his head. "I refuse to snooze. As soon as the alarm goes off, I am up. The other thing is, I embrace the siesta. It’s become a big thing for me. I sort of sit down in the afternoon and consciously do nothing. No snooze and have a siesta, that’s the formula."

How about that other perennial question? "Oh, you mean, ‘Does Charlie wear a wig?’ I always say ‘Yes he does,’" laughs Naga. "It’s an ongoing debate," sighs Charlie. "It’s even been addressed by Liza Minnelli, who leaned forward and pulled my hair just to test it. I suppose it goes back to the idea of being a family for the audience," he continues. "You’re in their living room, or kitchen, for a long time each day and they have the right, in a nice way, to engage with you."

Naga agrees. "Newscasters used to be seen as distant figures, people who sit down and tell you the news, but now it’s about being relatable. Actually in terms of hair, I think we are the only duo in telly where the woman has shorter hair than the man."

Apart from hair issues, do they get any other comments on appearance on social media? "Well, very wisely, Charlie is not on Twitter," says Naga. "He doesn’t engage, so he doesn’t see any comments. I get more comments than Charlie but I think also that is because men just wear suits, so there isn’t really too much to object to, whereas I don’t wear suits and buy my own clothes. So inevitably people think they can comment on what I wear."

Most memorable moment so far on the sofa? "It has to be when Cassandro, the Mexican wrestler and drag queen, came on in 2011," says Charlie. "His signature move was called the Mexican Kiss. I made the mistake of asking him about it. As soon as I said it, he was on me. He had me in a headlock."

And Naga? "For me it was when we had a panther kitten called Maya on the sofa. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. Honestly, I like to pride myself in having focus on set, but I fell in love with Maya."

So, the famous red sofa. Is it a comfy place to be? "No," says Naga immediately. "It is not. It is really firm but it is very uncomfortable. We have this thing where I like to be closer to the sofa and Charlie likes to sit back. No, it's not comfy."

Charlie laughs. "That sofa will outlive all of us." Roll on the next 40 years.

Nick Ross

You launched Breakfast Time with Selina Scott and Frank Bough on 17th January 1983. Did you have first-day nerves?

"Everybody was anxious — apart from Frank Bough. He clapped his hands about 30 seconds before we went on air, and said, 'Come on, everybody, calm down. It’s going to be great.' And off we went. Everything somehow came together perfectly."

How did Breakfast Time break new ground?

"This was going to be a bit of a Today mixed with light stuff. I was very sceptical when I was asked to join. I was uncomfortable, frankly snobbish, about the idea of having all the other stuff on. I argued against the idea of having an astrologer on the programme. But the mix worked brilliantly. I even came to like Russell Grant."

How different was it from the more formal current affairs presenting style of the time?

"We were getting away from the usual straight-laced way of presenting. Very early on, I was interviewing the Chancellor of the Exchequer and there was a cooking demonstration also taking place in the studio. Ron Neil, the editor, said in my ear, 'Take him to the cookery.' I thought, 'You’re kidding me!' But it was brilliant."

What were your most memorable moments?

"Covering the Brighton bombing in 1984. There was no time to catch your breath. Also, the handbrake turns – going from interviewing a cabinet minister to interviewing one of the Abba stars."

Has the culture changed?

"The newsroom was traditionally fairly sexist. As a rule, if a woman was there it was thought she was there because she was good looking, but if a bloke was there, he was perceived to be there because he was a good journalist. There’s no question that Selina Scott suffered quite a bit of that."

How did you cope with the early starts?

"Getting up early wasn’t the problem. The problem was missing social activities the night before. You had to go to bed at eight o’clock."

Diana Moran

How was your first day on Breakfast Time?

"I was live at Waterloo station, at six in the morning, freezing in my leotard and tights. Commuters were confronted with me saying, 'Would you like to do a bit of keep-fit?'"

You did your routines all over the country…

"I had to carry my passport with me. It was a very exciting time. I did chest exercises from a bra factory, bottom exercises from a knickers factory. I went to France and did exercises for the feet with bobbies on the beat on the Champs-Élysées…"

Did Breakfast Time change your life?

"It opened my eyes to how the rest of the world live. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a quiet, timid thing. But I hadn’t travelled a great deal and suddenly I was being exposed to all sorts."

Do you still have your famous leotard?

"You bet! And it still fits. But after a while, that material breaks up and goes baggy so I couldn’t possibly wear it again."

You returned to breakfast TV during COVID…

"I was very flattered. I put my mobile phone on my easel in my conservatory. I was make-up artist, director, cameraman, sound recordist, the lot."

What’s your fitness regime now?

"Remember I’m 83! I stand with my feet slightly apart and do 'the monkey' – relax my knees, swing my arms down, and then I’m up and stretching through the whole of my body. That wakes me up. Then I get down on the floor with my feet hooked under the end of the bed to do sit-ups and pull-ups. I’m up and down steps in my house all day long. And I walk a lot."

Francis Wilson

Do you remember your first day on the show?

"We decided we’d be in jumpers and trousers, not suits and ties, so we all looked a bit like avuncular crooners sitting around the sofa. The idea was to be very relaxed. We were trying to be friends sitting in the corner of your room."

How revolutionary were the computer graphics you used on your forecasts?

"In the old days we’d have stick-on numbers and shower symbols that looked a little like carrots. We wanted a quantum leap from that. We went from sticking magnetic signs on boards to having one weather wall. It’s very similar to what they do now."

What was your worst on-air moment?

"I did a lot of outside broadcasts and things would go wrong. The worst was at the finishing line on the Epsom Derby, with people who had been drinking champagne. The person behind me decided to drop his trousers and stick a carnation up his bottom! The screen went black. After that they started sending a minder when I had contact with the public."

How were the early starts?

"I think I’ve been permanently damaged. The presenters had a bond because we finished work at around 10am. We were the rowdy group in the corner of the wine bar at lunch time, standing on the tables singing My Way."

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