Dr. Andrew Rochford: Breakfast was “unworkable.”
Dr. Andrew Rochford admits he quit Breakfast because of Paul Henry.
- Published by David Knox
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TEN’s Dr. Andrew Rochford has opened up on the chemistry, or lack thereof, on the failed Breakfast experiment.
Rochford said he and Kathryn Robinson tried to work with Paul Henry as best they could.
But he quit after five months.
“I was thoroughly disappointed that it didn’t go the way I’d hoped or thought would potentially be the best direction for that show. But when I saw how things were playing themselves out, I was a big boy and decided (to leave). You can dig your heels in as much as you like but you can only do so much,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“It was unworkable.
“There are a lot of people with theories about what went wrong. My personal theory is somebody who was publicised for pointing out the white elephant in the room became the white elephant in the room.”
Rochford continues on The Project and joins The Living Room from next week.
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- Tagged with Breakfast, The Living Room, The Project
22 Responses
I always thought Andrew and Kath were bigger problems than Paul. Sure, Paul was unpleasant, but Andrew really had no point being there (beyond the unintended irony whenever Paul complained about people using reality TV as a backdoor to fame), and Kathryn’s insincerity was stunning.
I actually didn’t mind Paul. But this guy ekkk everytime I see him I turn over.
with the success of the project, ten should have moved members of that show to do breakfast (Waleed Aly, Andrew Rochford, Andrew Gunsberg, Nicole Livingstone or Meshel Laurie).
There’s a fair few other commitments some of those names have and Andrew Gunsberg is based in LA.
@ Bazza …..”they could have brought in a second female presenter”…
They had that in The Circle…which was rating wayy better than Breakfast….and they pulled it!..
So 2 or 3 ladies and Dr. Cutie….works for me… 🙂
It’s not so much that Henry was politically incorrect – he was just plain political and so was his appointment to Breakfast. Let’s hope TEN can keep politics out of its next attempt at breakfast TV. We need something different from the clones we have now. A format similar to The Project would have potential – with the right people.
Actually I thought the show improved dramatically after Andrew Rochford left. He’s a bit of a smug one at the best of times. It still needed a lot of work and would have been better off again if they’d also lost Paul Henry.
Perhaps they could have brought in a second female presenter? Why do we need ugly opinionated men on breakfast TV at all? It’s not like we’re short of talented women.
As others have said if it was Andrew Rochford and Kath Robinson the show would have been fine and rated a lot better. Every one knew this but Ten. When the show was announced i thought i’d give it a go. I like Rochford. But when Paul Henry was announced it lost me then. Big mistake by Ten to hire him.
@cynical old codger
Sunrise and Today, have very different personalities hosting there breakfast tv I agree. but when it comes to logos, themes, colour choices they are very similar. remember Today was going down hill fast and tweak the show, they got Lisa Wilkinson from weekend sunrise/kochie angels. (even the hosts of mornings on nine are from seven (sunrise and the morning show)
once a format works it is a matter of putting your own style in to it. ten didn’t do this. they tried to re-invent breakfast tv. when sunrise first launched it failed was taken of the air and brought back at a later date and gone from strength to strength.
dr Andrew was a good fit for the show. he has a warm personality, Murdoch wanted to make $$$$$$$$$$$$ as quickly as possible. he failed. he failed big time.
the axe fell on breakfast way to late, a revival I think would fail worse then the first.
not only did they fail at breakfast tv. but they killed the circle by moving it to 9am.
Ten were right to move to b/fast TV, they screwed up when Lachlan Murdoch thought an obtuse idiot in the early AM was what Australian audiences wanted.
Breakfast TV demands likeable, friendly and familiar faces.
Who wants to wake up to a complete bozo every morning?
It’ll be interesting David, if you interviewed Paul Henry about the past year. Now that he has nothing to hide, he might open up about the problems he had on set and vice versa. He might even explain why he has this very bluff persona.
@ jonusboi
Agree with most of your post,eg. instead of hiring a professional “Tweaker”, Lachlan hired a professional “W…ker”.
I also only watched Henry for your exact same reasons, but I also watched Ten to see how stupidly far they would let him go (and just how much influence Murdoch had), and could not believe that Ten and the EP of breakfast, stood by as he trashed talked existing advertisers (where has Dilmah Tea gone?) and/or many other potential advertisers (he was in full flight while defending A Jones’s disaster ) and this was in a network desperately chasing revenue dollars, even offering reduced rates?….Possibly many others were doing the same,(and also the Bolt Report)as indicated in the immediate drop off in viewer No.s when offered the popular “Judge Judy” in its time slot.
Totally disagree that others (9/7) being that vastly different, formats and presenters possibly,but all ‘3’ have similar agenda’s, its just that Henry was so PC incorrect, and So In Our Faces about doing it.
I thought Andrew was a bigger problem than Paul. Very bland personality, and makes some painfully unfunny interjections.
I suspect the interview was to plug The Living Room. But we’re all curious…
I think this is an unnecessary article, but the SMH must be desperate. Dr Roachford didn’t need to state this. I don’t think it is news! The show wasn’t watched, he left, ratings still declined and the show was axed. Was glad to see Breakfadt journalists doing other news reports.
Thanks David for posting anyway, not a comment against you or your hard work!
Am I about to live up to my user name ‘once again’ when I ask if its possible that Ten might be casting the net for a new “Breakfast Crew”?, seeing its been this long before ‘Doc Andrew’ spoke up, about something so many already knew.
And TV Tonight devotee’s comments will no doubt look good on Andrew’s CV/ Contract $$$V negotiations(and rightly and justly deserved), but not wanting to appear negative, he should not expect to much if any advantage, because Network Ten and Talent Scout extraordinaire Lachlan Murdoch never paid ‘One Iota’ of attention to us for nearly 10 months in regards to “Henry’s Breakfast Debarcle”.
And I hope that Henry did not taint the breakfast concept so much, that any resemblance of the old format, induces flashback events for previous viewers.
But lets be honest if the slightest hint, of the agenda set by Murdoch for Henry, raises its ugly head again, any ‘New Breakfast’ may be doomed as well.
So for what it is worth, my suggestion to those who want ‘US’ to vote in the Government They Want, to be honest and name the programme exactly that.
Paul isn’t suited for live tv let allow live breakfast tv. during the Delhi games ten had a breakfast program on all they had to do was keep it going after the games with a few tweaks.
there main flaw was they tried to be different to the rest. the Today show learnt we can’t bet ’em so we will copy them. or at least put there spin on things. If ten launched breakfast with a cash give away like “I wake up with today” or “the cash cow” they would attracted some more viewers.
Paul Henry made the show unbearable to watch yet at the same time you watched just to see what shit would come out of his mouth next.
Probably the best part of the show was Paul knew everyone hated him and none of them tried to hide it.
even with the changing formats and set designs, the show was set to fail. Andrew and Kath would have made a great team along with everyone else who was brought in, if Paul wasn’t there.
I tried it but it was unwatchable.
Should’ve cut their losses & gave Henry the flick straight away, Andrew & Kath would still be their & all would be rosey! I also think Andrew & Magdelana would be a good combination. Young & fresh faces, good point of difference!
It’s a wonder Gina didn’t demand Channel 10 Executives do a Breakfast Show with Paul Henry and Andrew Bolt as hosts for 2 hours every morning.
I still think a breakfast show with Andrew and Kath could have been a winner.
Yeah there is no season Ten couldn’t succeed. Sure we’re already saturated with carbon copies of each other.. just needed something original with likeable hosts. Dr Andrew one of them …..