RI:SE

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RI:SE
Genre Breakfast show
Starring Various
Country of origin United Kingdom
Production
Running time 185 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Channel 4
Original run 29 April 200219 December 2003
Chronology
Related shows The Big Breakfast,
Morning Glory

RI:SE was a breakfast television show made by Princess Productions in collaboration with Sky Television for Channel 4 in the UK. It was scheduled to replace The Big Breakfast after declining ratings. It launched on 29 April 2002. The programme was broadcast between 6.55am and 9.00am nationally in the UK.

The initial idea seems to have been to combine zoo TV with an emphasis on "young and sexy" presenters. Original presenters included: Mark Durden-Smith, Colin Murray, Kirsty Gallacher, Edith Bowman, Chris Rogers, Liz Bonnin, and Henry Bonsu.

Its viewing figures did not meet the initial expectations — some newspapers wrote about the "FA:LL of RI:SE" — and a variety of format changes were made to try to boost ratings. The programme began to model itself after The Big Breakfast, with the presenters sitting as a couple in front of French doors, games, competitions, crew involvement and outside broadcasts, with the likes of Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins drafted in.

By the time it was axed, the show was presented by the hyperactive Iain Lee alongside the 2002 winner of Big Brother, Kate Lawler, with half-hourly news updates provided by Zora Suleman. Dougie Anderson also provided reports (often from a record shop near the studio); filled in when another presenter was off; and helped with the daily television review. The programme gave extensive coverage to reality TV programmes such as Big Brother, Pop Idol and The Salon. In the summer of 2003, RI:SE launched a contest in which a member of the public could become the RI:SE reality correspondent. The competition was won by Kitty, who stayed on the show until the final episode.

Zora Suleman presenting the news on RI:SE
Zora Suleman presenting the news on RI:SE

It originally broadcast from BSkyB's studios in Isleworth, but moved above Whiteley's Shopping Centre in Bayswater, West London when it was relaunched in January 2003.

The programme was constantly mocked in tabloid newspapers, however the ratings were often distorted by the press and the programme often out performed the show it had replaced. However, the figures were still too low to make RI:SE commercially viable.

The last episode was shown on 19 December 2003, and had the most popular guests from the previous months including Jon Tickle and Shaun Dooley. Its Whiteley's studio is now used to broadcast The Wright Stuff on five.

Iain Lee and Kate Lawler in the final seconds of RI:SE
Iain Lee and Kate Lawler in the final seconds of RI:SE

Since then, the show's morning slot has been taken up by re-runs of sitcoms such as Friends and Will & Grace. In January 2006, Channel 4 launched its first new breakfast show since RI:SE, called Morning Glory, which was presented by Dermot O'Leary. It broadcast between 8.30am and 9.00am, Monday to Friday for a three-week spell during Channel 4's 2006 run of Celebrity Big Brother, but was not renewed due to poor viewing figures.

Channel 4 are currently consulting various production companies to come up with an "original" format for a breakfast programme.[citation needed]

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