Simon Mayo Breakfast Show

The Simon Mayo Breakfast Show was the weekday breakfast show on BBC Radio 1 between 23 May 1988^[1] and 3 September 1993. The programme was broadcast on weekdays, apart from on bank holidays, and had three broadcast slots. Originally on air between 7 am and 9.30 am, it gained an extra 30 minutes on 3 April 1989 to coincide with an earlier start to Radio 1’s day.^[2] Finally, when Radio 1 began 24-hour transmissions on 1 May 1991, the programme was broadcast between 6 am and 9 am.^[3] The programme ended as part of the major shake-up of BBC Radio 1 schedule by Matthew Bannister, which saw Mayo move to the station’s mid-morning slot.^[4]

The programme, which was based on a "zoo" format, saw Mayo being joined by The Breakfast Crew consisting of news anchor Rod McKenzie and a weather/travel presenter, of which there were four regular presenters throughout the show's run - Carol Dooley (1988), Sybil Ruscoe (1988–89), Jackie Brambles (8 Jan - 14 Sep 1990)^[5] and the late Dianne Oxberry (October 1990^[6] until the programme ended three years later). Weather and travel presenter stand-ins included Lynn Parsons, Caron Keating and Philippa Forrester.

News headlines were broadcast every 20 minutes. 30-second headline bulletins aired at 10 to and 10 past, alongside the full bulletin at half past the hour. The weather forecast was broadcast at 5 and 35 past, travel news at 25 and 55 past and a brief sports update, read by Mayo, was broadcast at around 20 past.

The programme became known for various features, including On This Day In History, the cryptic game The Identik-Hit Quiz, where Mayo and his co hosts would 'act' a short scene which cryptically led listeners to the title of a hit song, and in August 1990 he launched his Confessions feature where members of the public sought absolution for their (often frivolous or humorous) "sins", and it moved to a television series in later years.

Monday's programme featured a rundown of the new UK Top 40 singles chart which was followed by a playing of that week's number one. This was broadcast at approximately 7.45am.^[7]

Due to frequent plays from Mayo, several unlikely hit singles reached the UK charts, including "Kinky Boots" by Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman^[8] "Donald Where's Yer Troosers?" by Andy Stewart; and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", sung and written by Eric Idle.^[9] For helping Monty Python have a hit with the latter 13 years after it first appeared on the soundtrack to The Life of Brian, Idle presented Mayo with a model bare foot, in the style of the animated version which used to end the opening titles to the TV show.