BBC Breakfast viewers were taken by surprise as the show was interrupted by a real-time breaking news update.
Presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty were all set on the renowned red sofa to discuss the latest world headlines this Saturday (February 22) morning when their broadcast pivoted to focus squarely on a major story, the hostage exchange between Hamas and Israel.
This event involved Hamas agreeing to release six Israeli hostages, setting up for an equally significant reciprocal action from Israel, which vowed to liberate over 600 Palestinian prisoners—the largest one-time release since January’s ceasefire.
In the midst of an interview with ex-UK ambassador to Ukraine Simon Smith, Charlie was compelled to cut the conversation short.
He apologised, saying, “Simon, I appreciate your time this morning and your expertise and I apologise for interrupting you but we’ve got to go straight to Gaza where the latest handover of the hostages looks like is about to begin.”
Later developments saw two hostages, one identified as Avera Mengistu, an Israeli man of Ethiopian heritage who has been detained in Gaza since wandering there in 2014, and Tal Shoham, captured from Kibbutz Be’eri during a Hamas incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, being escorted onto the stage at Rafah by armed militants for the swap.
During Thursday’s programme (February 20), Naga Munchetty delivered some “very sad” news live on air, relaying the heartbreaking tale of Southport’s Alice da Silva Aguiar whose bereaved parents made their first visit to her primary school since her passing in July last year.
The coverage began with Naga stating, “Good Morning, it’s Thursday 20th of February. In their first broadcast interview since their daughter was killed, the parents of Alice da Silva Aguia have said that she was born to be a star.”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Charlie continued the report, saying, “Alice, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Bebe King were killed in a knife attack last July. Both Alice and Bebe were pupils at Churchdown Primary School, which is now planning to build a playground in memory of the two girls.”
Following this, the show featured a pre-recorded segment showing Alice’s grieving parents, Sergio and Alex, visiting the primary school for the first time subsequent to their daughter’s death.
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One at 6am