Ten gives morning TV a wake up call

It is obviously going to take time for this new player in the breakfast TV market to gel.

On-screen relationships have to develop and the audience has to grow comfortable with the gang. After all, some of us are still only half-dressed when we're watching this gear.

The start, as expected, has been a little clunky, with everyone trying too hard. And when there are three people at a desk trying too hard, that's a lot of too hard.

The nerves are completely understandable.

After all, the final instructions to Tarsh (Natarsha Belling), Tash (Natasha Exelby) and Matho (James Mathison) must have been along the lines of ''just get out there and enjoy yourselves, and remember, if this fails, the entire network is in big trouble, everyone's job and some very important people's money is on the line. So go get 'em you crazy kids''.

Timing was unfortunate this week, with the Manly beach set looking sad, cold and windswept on Tuesday when Sunrise (Seven, 6am) was coming at us from a perfect, blue-skied Flemington ahead of the Melbourne Cup. Seven owns Cup day, so its breakfast show was at the big story of the day. You can't beat that.

Sunrise had Kochie on a rowing machine and Sam on a horse.

Today (Nine, 5.30am) had Lisa giving Karl an awkward shoulder rub and the team sitting around counting on their fingers the number of telephone rings, waiting for someone to win a car full of cash.

The beach set will work for Wake Up, although the studio itself is pretty plain.

The plasma screen on the wood-panelled wall on which Nuala Haffner appears for her news crosses is just plain awful. There's much to work on and much to work with and, one hopes, plenty of time for Wake Up to iron out the kinks.

Speaking of teams, the men from Top Gear are alarmingly good together, but each has managed to successfully strike out alone for their version of the solo album. Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature (SBS One, 7.30pm) sees the small, cute member of the motoring trio get his name at the start of the title.

Rather than putting his life at risk by driving at ridiculous speeds or going out to pubs in Australia with Jeremy Clarkson, here Hammond rides thermal updrafts with vultures and dives to the ocean floor in weird submarines.

It's all a lightweight scientific examination of how the natural abilities of animals can be studied, harnessed and modified for our benefit.

Hammond, as expected, is terrific company, throwing himself into every physical challenge with terrified reluctance.