RI:SE and fall of breakfast TV boss

The boss of the much-hyped new Channel 4 breakfast show RI:SE has resigned only four days after its debut.

Mark Killick, 40, who has also worked for news programmes such as Panorama, was recruited from BBC's Watchdog to ensure journalistic standards on the Big Breakfast replacement.

He reportedly sent an email to everyone on the production team, wishing them well with the show, and ended it simply: "Bye."

His departure follows a disappointing start for RI:SE, which is fronted by former SKY TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher, Mark Durden-Smith (the son of Judith Chalmers), MTV star Edith Bowman and Colin Murray.

The programme pulled in only 200,000 viewers when it first aired on Monday. This is even lower than the average figures for the Big Breakfast just before it was axed and compares with 1.2 million for GMTV and 900,000 for the BBC's Breakfast show.

Even CBBC, whose morning slot is aimed at pre-school children, managed to attract 400,000 viewers.

BSkyB and Princess Productions won a £12 million contract to make RI:SE, billed as "a breakfast show for the Heat generation".

The makers of the show were quick to play down Mr Killick's departure and denied it was due to poor viewer figures or alleged off-air rows.