TEN having another crack at breakfast TV
Natarsha Belling, James Mathison and Natasha Exelby to host Channel Ten's new breakfast show
CHANNEL 10 has ditched expensive overseas stars as well as the studio for its new breakfast show Wake Up.
Wake Up will be hosted by Ten news presenters Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby as well as former Australian Idol host James Mathison.
Ten's new challenger to Nine's Today and Seven's Sunrise comes after its failed Breakfast with million-dollar host Paul Henry.
Wake Up will launch later this year and will be broadcast live every weekday morning from the Manly surf clubhouse in Sydney.
Former freelance television reporter Nuala Hafner will present the show's news bulletins from Melbourne.
"We promised to be different and now we can deliver," Ten's Director of Morning Television, Adam Boland, said.
"This show will never go near a studio. It's an ambitious project, but one guaranteed to be fun."
Mother-of-two Belling's most recent roles are presenting Ten Weekend News at Five and Ten Late News.
"Each of us (Belling, Exelby, Mathison) comes from completely different worlds and stages of our lives and that creates a fantastic (on-air) dynamic," Belling says.
Channel Ten?s new breakfast show team lineup Natasha Exelby, James Mathison, Natarsha Belling and Nuala Hafner.
Channel Ten's new breakfast show team lineup Natasha Exelby, James Mathison, Natarsha Belling and Nuala Hafner.
Exelby has been a senior reporter with Ten since 2008 and has specialised in politics. She has appeared on The Project and Can of Worms.
Mathison, who had been rumoured as one of the show's hosts, has also been a regular on The Project and Can of Worms but is best known for co-hosting Australia Idol for six years.
"Whether it is news or politics or sport or pop culture or human stories, they're the sort of things that excite me," Mathison says.
Boland says he has gone for rapport over big names when putting together Wake Up's on-air team.
"Chemistry is everything in breakfast," Boland says. "We screen-tested plenty of combinations, but these guys had an instant dynamic.
"They can talk about anything and, trust me, with this format they will."
Wake up is part of Ten's new morning line-up which includes a panel-based show featuring Ita Buttrose and Joe Hildebrand.
TV war- Networks attack at dawn
Wake Up is one of the major new initiatives under the helm of Ten's new CEO Hamish McLennan.
"The combination of Natarsha, James, Natasha and Nuala, plus great locations and an informative, entertaining format, is just what the breakfast market needs," McLennan says.
Boland, who created Seven's Weekend Sunrise and The Morning Show and was executive producer of Sunrise, isn't expecting ratings miracles.
"I have very realistic expectations," Boland says. "Sunrise was a two-year build. This will take some time - it is a brick by brick proposition."
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Wake Up will be up against the well-established Today Show team of Steven Jacobs, Georgie Gardner, Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic, Richard Wilkins and Ben Fordham.
Ten also made a number of other programming announcements on Thursday.
Andrew G is set to return to Australia to host Channel 10's The Bachelor.
The former Australian Idol host, now known as Osher Gunsberg, will front the first local version of the hit international dating show.
The Aussie version of The Bachelor will see single Tim Robards out to find true love.
In 2011, Gunsberg worked alongside Paula Abdul when he hosted the US talent series Live to Dance.
More recently, Gunsberg has been seen on Aussie screens as host of art series Photo Finish.
"I couldn't be more excited to be a part of Australia's first season of The Bachelor," Gunsberg said. "There is a reason it is a worldwide hit: people love to watch it and love to talk about it."
Gunsberg relocated to Los Angeles after the end of Australian Idol. He wed TV producer Noa Tishby in 2008 but the marriage came to an end in 2011.
Sunrise?s Natalie Barr, David Koch and Samantha Armytage have some competition from the Wake Up team.
Sunrise's Natalie Barr, David Koch and Samantha Armytage have some competition from the Wake Up team.
Ten has also signed big name sports identities for its cricket and Winter Olympics coverage.
Sir Viv Richards will join Ten's commentary team for the T20 Big Bash League.
The West Indies legend will call alongside Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Mark Waugh and Damien Fleming.
Richards made his Test match debut in 1974 and went on to score 8,540 runs in 121 Test Matches, for an average of 50.23.
"To have Sir Viv as part of a commentary team that already includes Ricky, Adam, Mark and Damien is great for Ten," McLennan says.
Ten's Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics commentary team has been boosted by gold medallists Alisa Camplin and Steven Bradbury.
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Today (Channel 9)
Hosts: Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson
Support Cast: Richard Wilkins, Georgie Gardner, Ben Fordham, Steven Jacobs
Description: Rock solid Hit its straps when Wilkinson arrived in 2007. Now dominates Sydney and Melbourne.
Sunrise (Channel 7)
Hosts: Samantha Armytage and David Koch
Support Cast: Mark Beretta, Natalie Barr, Edwina Bartholomew
Description: In transition Jury still out on whether there will be viewer backlash against Melissa Doyle's sudden exit.
Wake Up (Channel 10)
Hosts: Natarsha Belling, James Mathison, Natasha Exelby
Support Cast: Nuala Hafner
Description: New kid on the block Ten is hoping Wake Up will be the fresh start it needs after dismal Breakfast.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...#ixzz2ZRIrXEwW
