I can hardly wait for my 3.20am alarm call on November 18th.

I am really looking forward to starting on Breakfast and joining a team which is so highly regarded.

BBC Breakfast sets the news agenda for the day and it will be a privilege - and a challenge - to help lead the day's coverage.

But I'm also looking forward to the softer side - to the mix of hard news and lighter items which makes the programme so watchable for the bleary-eyed.

Natasha's cats will get a very early Breakfast

Of course, it's going to be very difficult to follow Sophie.

She is a fantastic presenter and journalist and has done a wonderful job making Breakfast what it is today.

But she deserves a lie-in after five years - it's my turn to get up in the middle of the night.

This isn't the first time I have had early starts - I started out reading breakfast bulletins.

No snoozing

I find it's best to be out of bed before the alarm stops ringing: the snooze button is a dangerous thing!

I have two little rescue cats, Oscar and Dilly, who will share the early starts although they are a little confused that their breakfast is served so early these days.

When it comes to the programme, I'll have to ask Dermot for the odd tip. He has promised to show me which camera to look at (which makes all the difference in television) so it will be fun to work together.

November 18th is fast approaching so I'm stocking up on sleep, trying to learn the computer system here and endlessly losing myself in the maze of corridors of Television Centre.

I've decided that the only way to guarantee that I find my way to the studio on my first morning is to leave a little trail of pink stones around the corridors.

If you don't see me at the start of the programme, you'll know that I'm totally lost!

Natasha

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