By BBC News Online's Keily Oakes

So The Big Breakfast is no more.

After nearly 10 years of waking up the nation's youth it has been taken off air because of poor ratings.

And there was nothing in the finale show to suggest it should have been saved from the swinging axe.

The presenters - Richard Bacon, Lisa Rogers and Amanda Byron - did their best to pretend it was not really the end of the line and possibly their careers.

There had been promises of past presenters dropping into the lock-keeper's cottage to help with the send-off.

But the only person they managed to tempt to the house was Vanessa Feltz.

Stellar guest list

Former newsreader Phil Gayle also stepped back into the breach for one last time to read the bulletins.

Other "star" guests included actors from EastEnders, The Bill and the So Solid Crew.

In contrast, stellar guests in the dim and distant past have included Tom Hanks, Woody Allen and Uma Thurman.

Comedian Johnny Vegas did his best to liven up events, but Richard Bacon seemed to take offence at being upstaged.

Chris Evans gave his own tribute to the show

The show was packed with memories from the past, but all this did was highlight why Channel 4 bosses pulled the plug on the show.

Fond farewells from the likes of Gabby Roslin, Chris Evans, Johnny Vaughn and Denise Van Outen were interspersed with clips of their funniest moments.

And they really were funny in their day. Evans was a wildcard who you could never predict while his partner Roslin was his perfect foil.

Vaughan and Van Outen also shared a special bond, where each seemed to know what the other was thinking and could pre-empt each other's jokes and stories.

Zoe Ball made the brave decision to record her tribute to The Big Breakfast. Even she was has admitted she was rubbish when she worked on it.

Dynamite

Viewers could choose their favourite moments in BB history. Unsurprisingly, none of the choices came from the period since the relaunch.

But it was great to see Van Outen confess to stealing from Buckingham Palace and Vaughan's take-off of Frank Butcher.

Gaby Roslin and Paula Yates were also original presenters

There had been rumours that show founder Bob Geldof was going to arrive to blow up the house.

Unlikely as it sounded, as the show limped to the end you were willing him to make a "surprise" entrance, hit the dynamite button and put us out of our misery.

Perhaps one of the show's problems was that if could not reach its target audience - students.

And it is these students - who probably only get up in time for Neighbours - who will probably mourn the loss of the juvenile Big Breakfast.