A morning show reaches a milestone: Expresso on SABC3 celebrates 500 episodes as South Africa's light and fluffy lifestyle breakfast show.

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The breakfast TV show Expresso, coming to South African viewers from its penthouse perch in Seapoint, Cape Town, celebrated its 500th episode today.

Expresso, done five days a week by Tswelopele Productions with a mesmerising vista over the Mother City is fast become the morning show stop for news makers, celebrities, musicians and artists across South Africa.

The counter-intuitive show with Patience Stevens as executive producer and deftly helmed by the very experienced Bradley van Den Berg as line producer, Paul van Deventer as show producer and JC Hibbard as floor manager, has unequivocally proven that a multiple day TV production from Cape Town can not only work and be done well - but that it can be done in style.

Although far from the hubbub of the supposed TV making nexus of Johannesburg, musicians, celebrities, artist, experts, national brands and international personalities are queing up to be seen on, and make a stop on Expresso.

It's thanks in large part to the production crew actually clearly trying so much harder than the other two morning shows and making a real effort with segment production, constant diary planning and obvious creative brainstorming.

Both in terms of segments and execution, Expresso inserts are often wholly brand-new for South African morning television, doing never seen before clever things to keep the viewer tuned in with tricks not even ever employed on the longrunning Good Morning South Africa, AM2Day or that trash we-never-tried The Toasty Show.

Although SABC2's Morning Live is supposedly the SABC's morning show crown jewel and the de facto official morning show broadcast in this country; and while e.tv tries with Sunrise (which never quite radiates the level of warmth a morning show should), its SABC3's Expresso with its emphasis on light fluff, banter and lifestyle segments which makes it the morning programme you actually want to wake up to as a South African TV viewer.

With a dog often biting guests feet, presenters who can't read but don't bother, who aren't scared to ask "stupid" questions and be real about what they don't know instead of coming across as know-it-alls, cooking segments which sometimes go wrong, constant prizes and giveaways, pioneering the highest real level of social media interaction of any TV show in South Africa and sunny inserts running the gamut from home improvements to getaways, DIY and health, its the Expresso studio and its presenters which most feels like a true extension of your own household waking up with you in the morning.

Where else in the morning on television do you see people babbling over each other, running around chasing each other, singing along with musicians like a morning kumbaya moment, or tannie Evita suddenly popping up to do the weather report?

Expresso celebrated its 500th episode today with all the presenters in studio except for Graeme Richards (who was seen in a prerecorded insert) and Liezel van der Westhuizen - she of the multi hair styles (which got a retrospective insert today) being in London for the London Fashion Week.

Katlego Maboe, Ewan Strydom, Kia Johnson and Leigh-Anne Williams were all there - even Dr Michael Mol visited to reminisce about past on-air pranks. Whether they're all really friends in real life is immaterial; their collective hyper-active nature and presentation style make the viewer feel as if they really are a family. And that is what viewers respond to: People who are just like you - just better. (And with more and nicer kitchen utensils.)

The addition of Graeme Richards a few months back (which was a bold and great move - he turned out to be excellent and is a can-do jetsetter just like Liezel and Katlego), Kia Johnson going public with her pregnancy followed by Ewan Strydom with the news that he's becoming a dad, all had a subtle but strong bonding effect - the viewer feels unconsciously that you really know these Expresso people, a hard-to-imitate and fake quality which none of the other morning shows have.

Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu from Three Talk with Noeleen on SABC3 weighed in with a pre-recorded message in today's milestone episode. "Congratulations Expresso, you've now got 500 episodes under your belt and we look forward to the next 500," she said. "Wishing you lots of good eye cream for your early morning wake-up calls."

Liezel van der Westhuizen also called in per telephone from London. "Happy 500 episodes! Enjoy the 500th episode and bug hugs to all of you," quipped the bubbly blonde from the United Kingdom.

"We're celebrating our 500th episode here on Expresso and we're having so much fun," said Leigh-Anne Williams.

Later the Isidingo cast on SABC3 also had pre-recorded messages congratulating the show from actors Vusi Kunene, Marissa Drummond and Ashish Gangapersad who said "may you see many many more".

The 500th episode of Expresso ended with a braai on the roof (yes. a breakfast braai) as Cape Town's almost-summer sun shone brightly at 08:30 - and just like the AHA song - also on TV.