[1][better source needed] The show first aired on 11 September 2000 and was created at Anglia Television who produced it for two years until their takeover by Granada.

Many of the regular panel members hosted the show in its early stages such as James O'Brien, Janet Ellis, Kate Silverton, Henry Bonsu, Anne Diamond, Vanessa Feltz, Lowri Turner, Matt Allwright, Kaye Adams, Nihal Arthenayke, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Christopher Biggins and Andrew Castle.

Occasionally new guest hosts were drafted in, Simon Hardeman, Jane Moore, Anneka Rice, Piers Morgan, Simon Mayo, Richard Bacon, Stephen Nolan, Coleen Nolan, Fiona Phillips, Donal MacIntyre, Penny Smith and Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije have hosted.

Wright entered I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here in November 2013, leaving Richard Madeley to host the show for a month.

It contained a mix of topical discussion, DIY, consumer items, relationship issues and medical matters.

It had been a feature of the show that there was a female co-host (originally a telephone operator) in a booth separated from the main presenter and guest area.

The longest serving female co-host from 2015 until 2018 was Storm Huntley who continued her role in the shows replacement Jeremy Vine.

He needed to be across the news stories of the day and co-ordinate live debate between the studio audience, celebrity panellists and viewers at home.

The first "Man with the Mic" was Matt Rudge who left to pursue a successful career as a writer and stand-up comic.

Regular panel members have included TV presenters, journalists, comedians, politicians, actors, singers, entertainers and reality television stars.

Guests on the show have included Morgan Spurlock, Michael Barrymore, Jane Asher, Terry Waite, Sarah Brightman, Martin Fry and Ian Smith (the week that Neighbours moved to Five).

The format was based upon the more traditional radio phone-in, featuring well-known guests discussing topical issues, and encouraging contributions from the studio and television audiences, text messages, e-mails and a phone vote.

Until 2018, the show was 2 hours long, starting at 9:15 am and ending at 11:15 am, and was transmitted as seven parts: A feature of the programme was a "multiple choice" or "true or false" quiz question posed before the commercial break, usually based on the next discussion topic.

On 13 August 2008, Asian entrepreneur James Caan appeared on the programme and mocked Prince Charles wearing a kilt.

A spokesperson for the show said the debate – which was based on a long-standing media caricature of Knox as "Foxy Knoxy" – had been "handled extremely sensitively".

[15] On 10 May 2012, it was reported the show was being investigated by Ofcom over a survey on the 26 April edition that asked viewers what the most offensive word is to describe someone with learning difficulties.

[16] The show received many prank calls from the public only to make a highly controversial comment by using inappropriate language on air.

This often resulted in a significant overreaction from Wright, whose hilariously hysterical reactions are thought to prompt more people to make prank calls on the show.

It is thought that a handful of individuals were persistent prank callers and appeared on the live phone ins on many occasions without being recognised.

The show was also referred to in the BBC Three series Drop Dead Gorgeous, the character of Murray Priestman saying he liked to start his day by watching it.