Iain to host relaunched RI:SE

Former 11 O'Clock Show host Iain Lee is to take over as host of Channel 4's breakfast show RI:SE.

The show has been a ratings disaster for the channel, with audiences languising around the 300,000 mark.

All hopes for the future of the show now rest on the relaunch on January 20.

Lee will co-host the show with entertainment reporter Edith Bowman, the only surviving member of RI:SE's original presenting team. Anchorman Mark Durden-Smith announced he was leaving today, but it is unclear whether he jumped or was pushed.

The programme is moving from Sky TV's Osterley base to the Whiteley's shopping centre in Bayswater in the hope that a more central location will attract more celebrity guests.

Channel 4's topical 11 O'Clock Show launched the careers of Daisy Donovan, Sacha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais, and showcased many circuit stand-ups. However, critics were often less than enthusiastic about the quality of the gags.

Published: 7 Jan 2003