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''The Late, Late Breakfast Show'' was a British
variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...
broadcast live on Saturday evenings from 4 September 1982 to 8 November 1986 on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. It was presented by
Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presente ...
, initially with co-host
Leni Harper Leni Harper is a Scottish actress, best known for playing Maddie in '' Me and My Girl''. Career Leni's breakthrough role was in a 1981 West End production of '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas''. In 1982 she was recruited for the role of s ...
, and also featured Mike Smith and
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
. The "Give It a Whirl" segments featured dangerous
stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
s. Multiple serious injuries resulted from these stunts, including the death of Michael Lush in 1986. The show was cancelled in the aftermath of his death.


Overview

''The Late, Late Breakfast Show'' was the first show
Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presente ...
presented in the Saturday-evening
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
slot, having quit his Saturday-morning children's show ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was ground-breaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday mornin ...
'' earlier that year. Its theme tune was written by
Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music ...
and performed by
Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European Da ...
. It was produced and directed by
Michael Hurll Michael Hurll (7 October 1936 – 18 September 2012) was a British television producer who specialized in the comedy and light entertainment genres. He produced many British TV shows including ''The Two Ronnies'', ''Top of the Pops ''Top of ...
. Initially, the programme struggled in the ratings and seemed unlikely to survive beyond its first series. Original co-host
Leni Harper Leni Harper is a Scottish actress, best known for playing Maddie in '' Me and My Girl''. Career Leni's breakthrough role was in a 1981 West End production of '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas''. In 1982 she was recruited for the role of s ...
was dismissed after the third show and various revamps took place to bolster the ratings. Eventually, the inclusion of some of the biggest names in the music business, including
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
in their last ever television appearance, as special guests helped raise the profile and ratings for the show. The programme was described as a "mag prog agazine programmeespecially for those who get up late on Saturday, featuring comedy, pop music & a few surprises". Regular features on the show included "The Hit Squad", which was a hidden camera section; pop music performances; and "The Golden Egg Awards", which featured various
outtakes An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DV ...
. During the "Give It A Whirl" feature a member of the public would call in and have the "Whirly Wheel" spun to select a
stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
, in a similar setup to gameshow ''
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
''; after spending the week training, they would perform the stunt live on the next show.


Controversy


Paul McCartney

On 29 October 1983, the
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for the single "
Say Say Say "Say Say Say" is a song written and performed by English musician Paul McCartney and American musician Michael Jackson, released in October 1983 as the lead single to McCartney's 1983 album ''Pipes of Peace''. Produced by George Martin, the son ...
" by
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
was shown on ''The Late, Late Breakfast Show'' under controversial circumstances, after being aired on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's '' The Tube'' the previous day. The $500,000 video had not been ready when the track debuted in the UK singles chart, and by the time the video had been completed, the track had fallen in the chart. McCartney flew to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with the intention of premiering the video on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's flagship music programme ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'', but the programme had a strict policy that no single that had dropped in position could feature and refused to show it. A furious argument ensued, with BBC staff reporting McCartney was threatening to withdraw all his music from the corporation. As a compromise, the BBC offered to air the video two days later on ''The Late, Late Breakfast Show'', which featured weekly live music performances but rarely aired videos. The BBC agreed to do so only if McCartney appeared live and gave an interview. He reluctantly agreed and appeared with his wife
Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...
in his first live UK television appearance since 1973. The subsequent interview was stilted and the McCartneys made little or no effort to answer any of Edmonds' questions. After some reportedly hostile backstage production negotiations, the programme's entire show was built around the '
medicine men A medicine man is a traditional healer and spiritual leader among the indigenous people of the Americas. Medicine Man or The Medicine Man may also refer to: Films * ''The Medicine Man'' (1917 film), an American silent film directed by Clifford S ...
' theme of the video and the guest who had been booked to appear that week,
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
, had to agree to appear to promote the video in a skit, reportedly against her will; Newton-John expressed anger at having her 'starring' role in the show downgraded into a lesser guest spot to make way for McCartney and his video. Following the airing of the video, the track climbed back up the chart the following week and aired on ''Top of the Pops'' on 4 November 1983.


Accidents

There had been concern that the programme's stunts were too dangerous; indeed, the BBC was twice threatened with legal action by the
Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...
(HSE) to stop planned stunts such as plucking a member of the public from an exploding chimney by helicopter. The BBC themselves described the stunts as "some of the most daring feats ever seen on British TV". On 10 September 1983, stunt driver Richard Smith fractured his
pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...
and injured his head, neck and back after crashing at during one such live stunt – an attempt to leap more than 230 feet in a car. Also in 1983, Barbara Sleeman broke her shoulder after being fired from a
cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
; she would later say, "The BBC don't give a damn. They just want the viewers."


Death of Michael Lush and cancellation

On 13 November 1986, volunteer Michael Lush was killed during his first rehearsal for another live stunt. The stunt, called "Hang 'em High", involved
bungee jump Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...
ing from an exploding box suspended from a 120 ft-high crane. The
carabiner A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken' ...
clip attaching his bungee rope to the crane sprang loose from its eyebolt during the jump. He died instantly upon impact of multiple injuries, and ''The Late, Late Breakfast Show'' was cancelled on 15 November 1986 after Edmonds resigned, saying he did not "have the heart to carry on". The planned episode that was to be aired that night was replaced with a showing of the film ''
One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ''One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'' is a 1975 comedy film set in the early 1920s, about the theft of a dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution C ...
''. Although the
inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
recorded a verdict of misadventure, the jury was informed of several failures on the part of the BBC. Graham Games of the HSE stated that the clip could have been opened by the weight of a bag of sugar, and demonstrated that the clip sprang loose fourteen times in twenty. David Kirke, a bungee specialist from the
Dangerous Sports Club The Dangerous Sports Club, a group of adventurers and extreme sports pioneers based in Oxford and London, England, were active from the late 1970s for about ten years, during which they developed modern bungee jumping and experimented with a var ...
, stated that a similar stunt he had been involved in had used three ropes, as opposed to the one rope used by the BBC, and shackles in the place of carabiner clips. The safety officer, Andrew Smith, was not on hand, and no supervision or demonstration from a trained
stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
had occurred. There was also no way for Lush to contact the ground once he was in the air, and nobody in the air with him in case he changed his mind; the jury heard he delayed for almost two minutes before finally being instructed to make the jump. Furthermore, despite advice against it, the BBC production team had insisted on the use of an elasticated bungee rope. Additionally, there was no
airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...
or
safety net A safety net is a net to protect people from injury after falling from heights by limiting the distance they fall, and deflecting to dissipate the impact energy. The term also refers to devices for arresting falling or flying objects for the ...
to cushion a hazardous fall, and Lush had drunk two pints of beer at lunch prior to the rehearsal. Finally, it was found that Lush was wearing wet boots before he jumped, which, while not contributing to the accident, was a safety hazard nonetheless. The BBC made an ''
ex gratia (; also spelled ''ex-gratia'') is Latin for "by favour", and is most often used in a legal context. When something has been done ''ex gratia'', it has been done voluntarily, out of kindness or grace. In law, an ''ex gratia payment'' is a paymen ...
'' payment of approximately £120,000 to Lush's family. While the
coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
recommended that safety officers be on hand during any such future stunts, BBC managing director
Bill Cotton Sir William Frederick Cotton (23 April 1928 – 11 August 2008) was a British television producer and executive, and the son of dance band leader Billy Cotton. The TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton is related to him, as he was her paternal ...
stated that there would be no future programmes that exposed members of the public to risk. After the inquest, Edmonds said, "If I was to continue my career at the BBC I would want to be fully confident about any production team I was provided with." He returned to the BBC's Saturday night lineup two years later, presenting '' The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow''. Subsequently, the BBC was
prosecuted A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...
by the HSE for breaches of the
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974c 37 (abbreviated to "HSWA 1974", "HASWA" or "HASAWA") is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enfor ...
. In court, Maurice Pallister, representing the HSE, further explained that the stunt would not have been rehearsed by any professional without an airbag in case of falls, and that "stunt experts" had told him that even professional rehearsals should have taken weeks rather than days. He exonerated the programme's visual effects designer, who "had taken a high standard of safety and doubled that to ensure it was doubly safe". However, he explained that the show's producer had only discussed the stunt with the safety officer by telephone and reiterated that the safety officer was not present at the rehearsal. The
escapologist Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and oth ...
retained as Lush's trainer, Paul Matthews, was only experienced with theatrical tricks and had not performed the stunt required for the show. The BBC was fined the maximum amount of £2,000, plus costs. The magistrates chose not to refer the case to the
Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
, where there would have been an unlimited penalty.


Transmissions


Series


Specials


See also

* ''
Chase Me ''Chase Me'' is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated short film based on the animated series ''The New Batman Adventures''. The film was released as a bonus feature on the DVD for '' Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman'' in the U.S. on October ...
'', a Chinese stunt game show which was also cancelled after a fatality


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Late, Late Breakfast Show, The 1982 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1986 controversies 1980s British television series BBC controversies BBC Television shows British game shows British variety television shows English-language television shows