The Late, Late Breakfast Show was a TV entertainment show broadcast live on Saturday evenings on BBC One from 4 September 1982 to 8 November 1986. The infamous "Give It A Whirl" sement featured dangerous stunts, which often resulted in serious injuries and ultimately the death of Michael Lush in a bunjee jumping accident in 1986. The show was cancelled as a result.[1]
Links to Peel[]
Perhaps surprisingly, Peel was among the presenters when the TV programme introduced by fellow DJ Noel Edmonds kicked off its early Saturday evening run in 1982, hosting outside broadcast segments. Peel mentioned his appearance on the programme on his own 06 September 1982 show.
On Saturday I took part in the Late, Late Breakfast Show and was I thought rather embarrassing. I hope you didn't actually see it. I was so panic stricken that I read through my little piece in about half the time allocated to me and then cleared off in despair and afterwards was reassured actually by an affable woman who was working on Grandstand who'd travelled with me on the tube.
Peel's association with prime time early Saturday night TV wasn't to be a long or happy one. In Margrave Of The Marshes (Bantam Press, hardback edition, pg 322-3) wife Sheila Ravenscroft recalled:
John was introducing a stunt in which the driver Richard Smith attempted to break the world car-leap record live on air, only to flip the car over. For some bizarre reason, John seemed to get the blame for the incident and was subsequently dropped from the show; possibly he was thought to be a jinx.
The incident took place live on the show on Saturday 10 September 1983. see BBC Genome
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