The Big Breakfast is returning to Channel 4 for one-off special
The Big Breakfast will be back on our screens for one morning only next year, almost 30 years after its original launch, as Channel 4 announces Black Takeover Day.
As part of its commitment as an anti-racist organisation to improve Black representation on and off-screen, the broadcaster has announced that it will present a 'takeover' day of programming exclusively featuring Black talent.
The day will kick off with a one-off special edition of The Big Breakfast fronted by comedian and newly-announced The Masked Singer judge Mo Gilligan.
Related: The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett promises Mo Gilligan will be "an amazing addition" to show
The Big Breakfast was a light-hearted morning show hosted live from a real house which ran on Channel 4 between 1992 and 2002 and featured an impressive line-up of presenters and contributors, including Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Zoe Ball, Denise van Outen and Kelly Brook.
Channel 4 has promised that the Big Breakfast special will feature its "original anarchic spirit, distinctive energy and unique sense of humour" and will be "reimagined through an unashamedly Black British lens".
"Like so many of us, I loved The Big Breakfast and I am so grateful to be asked to host this special event, particularly as part of such a hugely thrilling and history making day for British television!" Mo said in a statement.
A post shared by Mo Gilligan (@mothecomedian) on Aug 25, 2020 at 8:47am PDT
During its Takeover Day schedule, Channel 4's flagship shows will be hosted by all-Black talent, including Celebrity Gogglebox, Countdown and the Channel 4 News.
There will also be a special hour-long episode of soap Hollyoaks which will be entirely written, directed and performed by its Black talent.
Channel 4's Director of Programmes Ian Katz is also looking for two new commissions that will air on the day, in the shape of a Black-led original scripted comedy series and an unscripted series set in the Black community.
"Channel 4 was created to give voice to underrepresented parts of society and do things which other broadcasters would not, and the Black Takeover qualifies on both counts," Katz said in a statement.
"It will be much more than a day of eye-catching programming, providing a focal point for our efforts to drive up on and off screen representation and leaving a lasting legacy on the channel and beyond."
The aim of the day is to amplify conversations around representation and diversity in the TV industry and to showcase Black talent both in front of and behind the camera.
Speaking about the Takeover Day, Kelly Webb-Lamb, Channel 4's Deputy Director of Programmes and Head of Popular Factual, said: "This project involves every slot, every genre, and every corner of the channel, and will therefore be the most radical and meaningful intervention into diversity in the channel's history."
Channel 4's Black Takeover Day is set to air in autumn 2021, and will lead into Black History Month. Further line-up details are still to be confirmed.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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