Channel 4's Ri:se loses its shine

Channel 4 finally axed its ailing breakfast show Ri:se today after months of uncertainty about its future.

The programme – which has undergone a number of facelifts – will cease at the end of 2003 after 20 months on air.

The two-hour show replaced The Big Breakfast last year but struggled to win over critics and pick up a sizeable audience.

In recent months it has been almost entirely devoted to coverage of reality TV shows.

Guests have tended to be drawn from Big Brother and Fame Academy for a number of weeks.

The show is currently fronted by Iain Lee and Kate Lawler but has numerous presenters passing through for stints.

C4’s director of television, Tim Gardam, today announced it was the end because the show’s audience was not big enough.

“Everyone involved has worked very hard to make a good and popular breakfast programme and there is no doubt that it has improved in quality and content and is now a confident programme,” he said.

“But we have to reluctantly conclude that Ri:se is not going to grow a sufficient audience to justify it continuing into a third year.

“After discussions with (programme makers) Princess Productions, we have both decided it is best to end the programme at Christmas.

“Channel 4 will continue to build on its relationship with Princess who remain one of the best independent production companies in the business.”

Executive Producers Henrietta Conrad and Sebastian Scott said in a statement: “Ri:se has been a great breeding ground for new talent – Colin Murray and Edith Bowman (Radio 1, TOTP), Liz Bonnin (TOTP), Mark Durden-Smith (ITV primetime) have all learnt the ropes in many hours of live breakfast TV.

“And we are sure Iain Lee, Kate Lawler and Dougie Anderson will continue to flourish.

“Over the last year and a half we have worked hard to make Ri:se a show which we are proud of. It is now time to move on and develop new shows for a channel going into a new era.”

The policy of concentrating on reality programmes had paid some dividends, with the show’s biggest audience coming in June during Big Brother 4.

It peaked at 450,000, compared to an average of 252,000 who turned in during 2002.