BBC Breakfast

I don't think anyone here has anything against Breakfast?


Anyway, I agree. Charlie and Naga did a very good job. The programme switched emphasis fairly quickly as soon as it became clear how serious the story was. Naga and Charlie’s years of experience anchoring main news bulletins did show today.

They clearly have the skills to go off-script, and cope with fast-moving situations calmly, intelligently and with relative ease. It's easy to forget that when you watch the normal output.

I didn't say anyone here has anything against Breakfast but clearly the programme is of lesser interest - at least on this forum - because there were hardly any posts about it at all this morning (as reflected on this thread - and hardly anything on the Brussels specific thread) - whereas every twist and turn on GMB was commented on in two threads.

Anyway, it's an observation and, essentially, it's all academic in view of the tragedy of the situation.

Is it not simply that Breakfast doing a good job of breaking news is hardly unexpected?

Think it's more a (probably justified) comment on the levels of obsession that ITV's Breakfast output seems to generate. Possibly because ITV has a lot more bells and whistles. And far fewer viewers.

I think they'd have been far more comments in here had Dan Walker been presenting as it would have been a good test of his abilities to handle a major breaking story.

Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty in the studio; Jon Kay in Brussels this morning.

Gmx actually had a main anchor in Brussels not just a correspondent leave you to decide who was right however

Though Jon Kay does anchor Breakfast from time to time - though not a main anchor, obviously. It is interesting that they didn't send Charlie or Naga out; Louise Minchin went out to Paris in the weekend of those attacks.

Or a case of not wanting the Brussels story to completely dominate too heavily? I watched the tail end of this morning's edition and, by and large, aside from Jon Kay and Frank Gardner interviews, it was a usual agenda.

It goes to show how valuable Jon Kay is as a live broadcaster to BBC Breakfast and how, in this scenario of such a serious story, that requires the most sensitive of journalistic traits, he essentially is their third top man and a regular face even without shift on the programme.

Also, kudos to Naga Munchetty who has pulled a seven day week, seven mornings in a row with Stayt (Thurs, Fri, Tues, Wed), Kay (Sat, Mon) and Roger Johnson (Sun).

Wednesday 23rd March:

BBC Breakfast 1.67m (38.1%)
Good Morning Britain 0.71m (including +1) (17.2%)

Was Jon Kay presenting from Brussels again, this morning?

No, they had Anna Holligan live from Brussels, although the VT's were introduced by Charlie and Louise.