BBC Breakfast viewers livid as show axes key feature without warning amid more scheduling chaos
FAN-FAVOURITE BBC Breakfast Jon Kay returned to the red sofa today – but another co-star was missing from the studio.
Wednesday morning’s episode also cut out an important news segment which left viewers furious.
Jon, 54, was back on BBC Breakfast after being off yesterday, but instead of reuniting with his regular co-presenter Sally Nugent, she was missing from the studio and Jon teamed up with Nina Warhurst instead.
Yesterday, regular weekend presenter Ben Thompson stepped up to the plate, filling in for Jon.
As this morning’s show got underway, the presenter switch-up was not the only thing to confuse viewers – the BBC show was cut short too.
The morning show usually airs for two hours on BBC One, but this morning it switched over to BBC Two after just 45 minutes, where it then wrapped up earlier than its regular 9:30 am time slot, finishing at 9 am.
Presenter Jon alerted the viewers to the change on X, formerly Twitter, noting: “We’re on BBC Two this morning because of Olympics coverage. We’ve got the latest from Southport and all the morning’s other news, sport, business, and weather.”
But in the move, a regular segment was axed.
The format typically sees the main presenters hand over the reins to regional newsrooms for updates tailored to viewers across various locations, but today there was no local news bulletins which left viewers confused and angry.
“Local news?” one frustrated viewers wrote on X after the show.
“Where’s the local news, then?” asked another.
While a third commented: “Oi, oi, where’s the local news? Another casualty of the Olympics.”
“If BBC Breakfast has decided to drop all of their local news bulletins and local weather forecasts, how about mentioning it on the show,” a fourth viewer raged.
Fans were correct when they theorised that the BBC Breakfast cuts are due to the Olympics.
Broadcasting rights for the 2024 games have been secured by BBC One. This means the morning show has seen numerous adjustments to its usual scheduling.
Local news was Wednesday’s casualty, but it’s unclear if this was just a one-off.
Who are the current presenters of BBC Breakfast?
The flagship BBC show has had dozens of presenters during its impressive 40 years on air but the current stars are:
Jon Kay – Since 2022
Sally Nugent – Since 2021
Charlie Stayt – Since 2006
Naga Munchetty – Since 2014
Carol Kirkwood – Since 1997
BBC Breakfast will follow the shame format tomorrow, moving across to BBC 2 midway through and it will also finish half an hour earlier than usual so viewers could find themselves without their local news segments once more.