Johnny Vaughan revisiting the Big Breakfast house was what we all needed in 2020

29 December 2020, 20:00 | Updated: 30 December 2020, 13:16

Radio X's Johnny Vaughan revisits the Big Breakfast house

The famous lock-keepers cottages are on the market for £5.75 million - and we sent JV down to see what memories they stirred up.

Remember the Big Breakfast house?

The distinctive lock-keepers cottages housed the early morning Channel 4 series, which ran between September 1992 and March 2002.

The location at Old Ford Lock, in Dace Road, East London, saw presenters such as Radio X's own Johnny Vaughan, Denise van Outen, Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin, Mark Little and Zoe Ball create a humorous version of breakfast television right through the Britpop era,

The six bedroom house was renovated after the show finished and is now up for sale. BlakeStanley Estate Agents listed the property as a "4,600 sq ft three-floor country house in London, with six bedrooms on half an acre of land" - with an asking price of £5.75 million.

See the full description and photos here

The former Big Breakfast house at Dace Road, E3
The former Big Breakfast house at Dace Road, E3. Picture: Rightmove

Always up for a trip down memory lane, Johnny Vaughan met up with an ITN news crew to visit the old Big Breakfast house for the first time in 19 years and see what memories the building conjured up. And he did us proud - how about David Bowie guesting on the show for starters? How many sheds are left in the garden? What about the time he locked Curtis Stigers in a cupboard? Where did the Family Of The Week sit? We even get a look at the bedroom where Paula Yates did all her "bed-bound" interviews...

You can see Johhny take a trip around the Big Breakfast house in our video above.

Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen in 1997, during the heyday of The Big Breakfast
Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen in 1997, during the heyday of The Big Breakfast. Picture: Ken McKay/Shutterstock

The Big Breakfast became famous for features like the "On The Bed" interviews with Paula Yates which famously saw her flirt with INXS star Michael Hutchence, before the pair's relationship began.

The show was also famous for the anarchic puppets Zig and Zag and wacky features like Johnny Vaughan's From Me Shed Son, One Lump Or Two, Telly Rellies and Egg On Your Face.

Originally three separate cottages designed to house the keepers of the lock at the nearby river Lea, the building was knocked into one location for the duration of the Big Breakfast filming.

The Big Breakfast house as it looked in 1992, when the programme launched
The Big Breakfast house as it looked in 1992, when the programme launched. Picture: Mike Hollist/Associated Newspapers/Shutterstock

It's currently split into two, with inter-connecting doors still preserved and an outdoor swimming pool.

The estate agents note the "secluded location", "large wrap-around garden" and the fact that the house is "minutes from the Olympic Park, Westfield, and Stratford station".

Earlier this year, Channel 4 announced The Big Breakfast will return for a one-off revival hosted by comedian Mo Gilligan, which is expected to air next year.

Thanks to ITN/ ITV London News for the footage and BlakeStanley Estate Agents.

The Big Breakfast living room pictured in the summer of 2002, once the series had ended
The Big Breakfast living room pictured in the summer of 2002, once the series had ended. Picture: Denis Jones/Shutterstock