Embedded Files
Lenny Henry
The first year of the show saw some of its first major column inches created when Lenny Henry was a guest on the show. Along with Chris he tested out a new type of mini-motorbike. Racing up the tow path he went flying braking his arm live on TV. Lenny returned to the show an hour later to conduct an interview with Paula with his arm in a sling.
The end of the year show 1992
The Big Breakfast broadcast live from 11pm - 12.15am on New Years Eve 1992. The show an attempt by Uri Gellar to stop Big Ben and Michael Hasselhoff asking people to join in Babewatch and find the first baby born in 1993. Throughout the show Chris and Gaby placed things that were now out of date in a bin and celebrated that Channel 4 now had to find it's own advertisers by showing dodgy cinema adverts. It wasn't until 1999 that The Big Breakfast would do another end of the year show with The Biggest Breakfast Ever
Competitions
Guess The Mess was the first of a long line of competitions on the show. The names such as Sunny Side Up, One Lump or Two, More Tea Vicar, Dish Of The Day, Count Your Chickens, Spot The Sausage, Egg On Your Face, Gaggin For It, Yanks For The Memory, Xrated, Who's Washing Line Is It Anyway?, Punaround, Get Fruity etc all bring back memories of cheery theme tunes and great laughs. Can you remember more? Email now!
Andrew Griffiths has added Spot The Pudding & Get Your Kit On - The sequel to Whose Washing Line, Moving the Goalposts and Breakfast Breakaway.
The Helicopter
A notar helicopter, Chris Evans & Rob 'Psychocam' Sargent were the ingredients for another bit of brekkie Gold in it's first year. The pilot showed off by looping-the-loop. Chris was quietly impressed but Rob wasn't - throwing up on live TV isn't something I'd be keen to be remembered for! See it here!
The Snowball
Good Morning I'm Chris Evans welcome to The Big Breakfast it's snowing! Wayh... SPLAT! Yep that snowball thrown by an unknown member of the crew smacking Chris in the face was one of the biggest laughs on the show - Chris didn't find it funny, he stormed off inside leaving Gaby to link to the news alone. Peter Smith found it funny though.
Paul Ross in tears
while hosting the show with Gaby Paul Ross was almost reduced to tears as his wife phoned to say she'd just given birth. Paul was overcome with joy and named the child Bebe as in 'BB' or Big Breakfast!
Chris' Last Show
A huge fairground contraption spinning Chris around, Chris blowing up a can of beans and Evan's confession that he holds a lit lighter to his workmates rear end causing the camera to jerk halfway through Gaby's interviews. Chris was given a fake script and didn't realise any of this was to happen. At the end he was waved off down the towpath reliving his BB career through a video montage which once again showed him falling into the canal. The whole show is viewable on Youtube.
The Michael Parkinson Interview
December 12th 1995, Zig & Zag sit at the kitchen table a conduct an hilarious interview with the God of chat Michael Parkinson. "Ugh, you've got hairy ears" & "Do you want to see my rash?" screams Zig as he munches on his Hamster food. He then belches and sneezes on Parky who by now is fighting back laughter. The pair end the interview with the chant "Show us your Pants!" "Ahh, but I'm not wearing any." Parky replies. ON THAT BOMBSHELL! Zag ends the interview.
Zoe Ball's Entry
Welcome to The Big Breakfast, I'm Mark Little and... wait a minute where's Zoe? Cue a 'Zoe' somersaulting up the towpath, leaping over the fence and then tripping and falling through the glass patio doors. Whoops.
Show 1000
Keith & Zoe skydived their way live to the Big Breakfast house at 7am. Beat that GMTV! Watch the whole show on Youtube.
The Basildon Sound Machine
Throughout Spring 1998 the living room of The Big Breakfast was graced by the presence of the Basildon Sound Machine, a Casio P-100 Keyboard with a rocking demo tune. Johnny & Denise proceeded to create a whole song around the Demo tune "Just the two of us Building Castles in the sky, you and me, and Linton.." Perhaps due to it's similarity in lyrics to Will Smith's Just The Two of Us - or due to Casio being slightly miffed at the use of it's Demo the sound Machine was given a burial at sea - pushed down a small slide into the garden pond. This wasn't the end to the tail of the sound machine.
In Christmas 1999 Johnny discovered that sound had made a recording of the Basildon Sound Machine's demo and it was briefly resurrected for a final chorus on Den's last show.
Christmas Eve, Matt Mills & Steps of Woe
Many fans will agree but the Xmas Eve show in 1998 was possibly the funniest edition of the Johnny & Denise era. Johnny painfully explained the rules of Christmas chicken (not buying anything until Xmas Eve) but was ruined by Matt Mills who confessed to buying everything in October. The next hour saw Matt consigned to the Steps of Woe no less then 4 times... perhaps you had to be there...
SnotXmas 1999. Cue Liza reading the menu of what's coming up on the show while Johnny tries out a new invention designed to clear out nasal passages. Johnny is perhaps a little too enthusiastic with the spouted device as a jet of water shoots up his nose forcing a stream of snot & mucus out. Much to the delight of the crew and thousands of viewers trying to eat their breakfast. Liza Tarbuck later consigned this incident to eternal damnation during her appearance on the BBC show Room 101.
Vegetarian?
Johnny Vaughan's interview with Alicia Silverstone in spring 2000 got very intense. She started going on about vegetarianism and how positive it was. Johnny then stated that we're meant to eat animals otherwise they wouldn't be made out of meat. It was a very funny moment especially as Alicia looked extremely pissed off. It was even stranger that she left early.
Who wants to Blow?
Thursday 22nd June 2000, A normal Paper review Liza gets to the Daily Mirror front page emblazoned with the headline 'Who wants to blow up a millionaire?' Liza confidently announces 'Who wants to blow a millioniare' and wonders why the crew starts giggling. In one of the funniest moments on the BB of 2000 she tries to continue but can't thanks to all the laughing. "Shall we take a straw poll on that one?" Asks Richie Bacon.
Indestructible
A normal edition of From Me Shed Son degenerates into chaos. Trevor claims he has an indestructible computer and invites Johnny to try it out. Johnny smacks it about a bit - it survives, then he smack it with a cricket bat. The bat splinters in two with half of it flying into the pond and surprise the computer is wrecked. It's inventor looks considerably concerned but allows the item to go ahead with another computer. JV drops it into a tank of water and once again the computer breaks. Cue commercials and the crew in a fit of giggles... Watch the bedlam unfold on Youtube.
Show 2000
May 23rd 2000 was the 2000 edition of The Big Breakfast. Johnny & Gail hosted a huge garden party replaying all the golden moments - they gave away 2000 prizes and once again played the famous WONGA! "Ugh - who turns up at 6am in the morning to get a raffle ticket only to bugger off!"
Destruction Corner
Monday 7th May 2001 and a normal edition of Invention Corner. Actually no - topping JV's indestructible computer disaster Bacon demonstrated a new light fixture designed to deter burglars. On approaching the device it failed to switch on or play it's message. Linton stepped in, tapping it gently to prompt it into working. Instead the whole light crashed to the floor, smashed but amazingly came on. Bacon was so excited by the events he stepped up to the front door and promptly fell over. Classic!
The Vase, The Crying Girl and No More Foot Doctor
On Tuesday 8th May 2001 the outside broadcast came from Cardiff where people brought along knick-knacks for valuation by antiques expert Lauren Harries.
It was going well until one lady didn't put her plant pot stand close enough to the table. Numb-Nuts picked it up - and smashed the bottom. "We'll try and repair it," said Mike McLean, swiftly moving on.
The Same show saw the return of 'Pushy Mums.' Richard Bacon was so excited by the return of this item he paraded around the garden exclaiming "The nightmare is over. No more barefoot doctor, no more Lola Lasagne, bye bye Here Kitty Kitty..." He was referring of course to the departure of Producer Richard Hopkins, mastermind of the fateful 2001 re-launch. Pushy Mum continued with the daughter bursting into tears proclaiming she couldn't continue. Ahh signs of the show returning to top form!
Beach volleyball & club friday
Squeaky McLean provided some great moments during the show's rocky summer of 2001. Still suffering from the loss of Vaughany it was good to see Squeaky putting effort into the show. 22nd June 2001 saw the return of Club Friday with Squeaky dressed as a hard core clubber. He grabbed Phats & Small's decks thinking he was fading the record out - instead he was actually adjusting the pitch thus the record got slower & slower. Squeaky then proceeded to scratch the record with the dexterity of a true bedroom DJ. The following Friday saw the Australian Beach Volleyball team in the front garden. To be honest they were quite rude and talked down to Squeaky, full of themselves they challenged him to a match. Squeaky stripped to the waist and to his full credit beat the stuck up auzzies! (They even managed to get the ball in the pond - fools.)
Contributors: smeg_head & Andy Griffiths
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