Mo Gilligan wants Big Breakfast to balance out abundance of cookery shows

Mo Gilligan thinks 'The Big Breakfast' can balance out the abundance of cookery shows on TV.

The 34-year-old comedian - who is to host the revival of the Channel 4 shows alongside AJ Odudu - wants more variety in Saturday morning television and thinks his show can provide it.

He's quoted by The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column as saying: "I think there’s a gap for Saturday vibes. There’s a lot of great Saturday TV, but there’s a lot of cooking stuff going on Saturdays.

“It’s going to be bringing some comedy to the mornings. Life in general could do with a bit more comedy at the moment.

“With 'The Big Breakfast', it’s quite fun and quite silly and just a great wake-up call.”

Phil Gayle will be back as a newsreader, and he agreed that a more diverse TV schedule is needed.

He added: “You can only have so many cookery shows on a Saturday morning.”

AJ has been speaking to former hosts Zoe Ball and Denise Van Outen about the legacy of the programme.

She said: "I worked with Denise on 'Cooking With The Stars', and she was just so complimentary of the special and the show.

“She said it was the best show ever to work on, and Zoe said she loved working on it too.”

Denise will be back for the programme's return on Saturday (13.08.22), after hosting alongside Johnny Vaughan during the 1990s, and she'll make a guest appearance to hand over the reins to Mo and AJ.

She recently said: "I spent some of the happiest times of my career on 'The Big Breakfast' and I’m so excited to be popping in to see the brilliant AJ and Mo for the first show of the new series.

"I can’t think of a better way to kick-start my Saturday."

She'll be joined in the special by 'Loose Women' star Judi love, who will recreate the famous On the Bed interview and a string of guests including Daniel Kaluuya, Rita Ora, and Joel Dommett are reportedly lined up for the series.

A source said: "There is still so much life left in the 'Big Breakfast' formula, as AJ and Mo proved in 2021.

"Everyone at Channel 4 is really excited about what they can bring to the format.

"Having show legend Denise there to christen the new chapter is the icing on the cake — or should I say, the bacon on the bap."