Breakfast television offering The Paul Henry Show on TV3 will have had many ardent viewers weeping over their porridge for the past two weeks.
The great man was away on holiday and, while that hardly bothered many of us, for others their mornings became somewhat depleted.
No doubt about it, Henry is a popular loudmouth and self-promoter always eager to discredit and make personal judgments on everyone from politicians to celebrities to whoever he can get in a disparaging or mordant quip about.
But his breakfast show survived with the sit-in hosts - first Mark Sainsbury, then Alison Mau.
Even though the format remained the same and with huge graphics of Henry plastered over the walls, they were dedicated hosts and did Henry proud.