Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley today took the wraps off their new morning show amid obvious sighs of relief that Daybreak did actually open to a glimpse of the rising sun, writes Tracey O’Sullivan

ITV’s new breakfast show Daybreak took to the air at 6am as the much-heralded replacement for GMTV.

“It’s happening,” declared Christine as she pointed out of the window just after 6am while her partner on the sofa urged viewers to make the most of a view of London which had cost “good money”.

And digging deep for such a backdrop certainly gave the small screen’s flirtiest pairing of presenters something to smile about, with no obvious sign of nerves for the launch of their new show.

The only hint, and possibly their most annoying habit, was their own need to congratulate themselves at regular intervals on how well they were doing.

It started early as Adrian joked at 6.11am that there had been no “major mess-ups” yet, declaring it an absolute triumph while Christine giggled as she admitted they were clinging on.

They later pretended to call a producer to say they were doing “all right”.

While there was plenty of controversy surrounding their move from the BBC’s The One Show to ITV they did their bit to herald in this new venture in style – Adrian suitably glib and Christine looking glamorous and very touchy-feely with her co-presenter.

But the set looked more suitable for a late-night chatshow – something which could prove a problem as the darker mornings arrive and viewers see even less of that expensive view.

The content could also have done with a boost.

It may have been that producers were determined to endear the new team of presenters to viewers but it was disappointing to see no other guests gracing the sofa this morning until former prime minister Tony Blair took up the hotseat just after 8.15am.

Special investigations and features such as the five-a day list of top stories helped to improve the flow and the weather certainly benefited from live pictures beamed in from across Britain, but they were repeated far too often with the same issues discussed over and over again.

While that is expected to some degree on a programme catering for staggered wake-up calls, it was as though show bosses had forgotten their two new stars were now responsible for more than 30 minutes on air.

The feel though was friendly and fun and they didn’t shy away from the odd tough question for their main attraction, Tony Blair.

It certainly looks like a new dawn has broken and it has the potential to make Daybreak a hit.

Special guest Tony Blair plugs his new autobiography

Comment:

It was certainly a cosy pairing as viewers were left to wonder if Christine Bleakley would at any moment leap into Adrian Chiles’ lap as they launched their new Daybreak show.

They had a full sofa to lounge on but it would have proved almost impossible to separate the duo as they showed off that now famous “chemistry” by perching almost on top of each other.

There’s no doubt bosses are depending on it to help guarantee the success of a project which has already proved controversial as it set out to replace GMTV.

They want a serious format to include a mix of news and lifestyle but it has also been reported that they want their new star turns to make the viewers smile.

Possibly blush is more like it.

There is no doubt this small screen duo are flirty and more than a little touchy-feely. And it’s a relationship which most onlookers credit with helping to make The One Show a runaway success.

But can those who need the viewing figures to soar really depend on it to get people tuning in to a show significantly longer in length than The One Show?

Because that seemed to be the plan this morning. There can be few programmes running to two and a half hours that try and get by on just one big name guest or interesting interview on the sofa without any other “name” to intrigue those at home to give it their time.

But maybe that’s because Adrian and Christine were not only hogging that square inch of the sofa but also all the limelight for themselves without many other stars to steal it away.

Tony Blair was the man of the moment this morning and in him they did land a major guest for Daybreak’s debut. And it is true that the nature of early morning programmes mean that people do tune in for brief periods of time but it still smacks of someone in power thinking that Christine’s intimate teasing of her co-presenter – it was his ear hair this morning – and his now slightly less-grumpy rebuffs is simply enough.

It could very well be but with an extended team that is a essentially a good one and a format that has the potential to work really well in such a tricky small screen slot it would be short-sighted to leave any future success in the hands of this pair.

Firstly because despite his protests to the contrary Adrian walked out of his last job in a huff taking Christine with him and, secondly, while it’s cute for 30 minutes after dinner this kind of behaviour could get nauseating very quickly when it’s going on for more than two hours every morning before, during and after breakfast.