BBC Breakfast presenters Luxmy Gopal and Ben Bland are left stunned after 'impatient guest' attempts an early exit from the studio floor
Presenters Luxmy Gopal and Ben Bland were conducting a straightforward interview with staff from the Cheshire based Vale Royal Falconry Centre when feathers were ruffled, at least in a manner of speaking, on the BBC sofa.
Ending the show with a segment on bird conservation, both Gopal and Bland were taken aback when special guest Rusty the owl - brought along by staff-member Annette - opened its wings and attempted to fly out of the Salford Quays studio.
Fortunately, the nocturnal bird was securely tethered, meaning escape was impossible.
'I think Rusty says it's time to finish,' joked Gopal. 'Thank you for being patient!'
Away from the studio floor the editor of BBC Breakfast is taking an extended period of leave after allegations about his behaviour, according to BBC News.
Richard Frediani has been in charge of the morning show since 2019 and accepted a Bafta last month when BBC Breakfast: The Post Office Special scooped the news coverage award.
Media outlets reported that an internal investigation is being carried out following allegations of bullying.
BBC News reported that an HR adviser from consultancy firm PwC is also supporting the corporation as it looks into the culture of the morning TV show.
Meanwhile, The Sun newspaper has reported that BBC bosses have spoken to Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty about two alleged incidents, which include an allegation of bullying, in three years.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously.'
It is understood that any complaint at the BBC is reviewed on its own merits and the appropriate action taken as a result, with a range of actions on the table.
In April, BBC executives Tim Davie and Samir Shah vowed that 'today is the day we draw a line in the sand' after an independent review found some 'well-known names' are 'not being held to account for poor behaviour'.
The workplace culture review, led by management consultant Grahame Russell from Change Associates, was launched in the wake of the furore over disgraced former newsreader Huw Edwards.
Elsewhere, presenter host Nina Warhurst announced she would be stepping down from her role as BBC Breakfast's resident business reporter at the end of March.
Nina, who joined in 2018, revealed on X (formerly Twitter): 'Hanging up the high-viz & hairnet as I join the BBC's News at One.'
She added: 'Our London team built a gem of a programme & it's a privilege to be on the Salford team taking it forward.'
'The teenage me who lived half a mile from here & dreamed of journalism would NOT believe it.'
Richard's tweet read: 'Delighted to welcome Nina Warhurst as a regular presenter of the News at One from April.
'Congratulations - a brilliant addition to the team in Salford.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Could Pep Guardiola's 'imminent' divorce 'hurt Man City'? Sources close to legendary boss say there is 'more urgency' to finalise split as start of season approaches
Pep Guardiola and his wife are set to divorce imminently, as fears grow that their split could hurt Manchester City. The details of the Spanish football manager's divorce from wife Cristina Serra are expected to be finalised within weeks and made official as early as next month, The Sun reports. The couple had hoped to keep their separation on friendly terms, but there is now 'more urgency' as their relationship seems to have deteriorated, sources said. Pep's relationship from estranged wife Cristina has reportedly moved from 'friendly to cordial' amid 'complicated negotiations'. Spanish journalists Laura Fa, who broke the story of their split said: 'The signing of this divorce is going to be imminent. Evidently their relationship sentimentally has come to an end.' And there are now fears his marriage troubles could overshadow the start of the new season, sources say. Daily Mail has approached Manchester City for comment. Pep, 54, and Cristina, 52, have been together for 30 years and got married in 2014. Cristina, who runs a fashion business, struggled to settle in Manchester and moved back to Spain five years ago. The couple reportedly agreed to go their separate ways in December shortly after he signed a new contract with the football club, with sources claiming that it was the last straw for Cristina. The estranged couple even hired the same lawyer to avoid a messy divorce. They both attended an Oasis concert in Heaton Park last month with their two children Maria, 24, and Marius, 22, but were not pictured together. The Manchester City's boss marriage troubles, which were first reported in January, also come during his worst slump as the club's manager. Pep has already said he will leave the club in 2027 after his contract runs out to 'focus on myself'. It was claimed back in April that the couple had been trying to give their marriage a second chance after Pep and his fashion entrepreneur wife spent three days together at their former Barcelona marital home over Easter. It was the second time since news of their shock split became public in January that the former Barcelona footballer had travelled to the Catalan capital and spent time with Cristina. Barcelona-based newspaper El Nacional said after the second reunion they were prepared to 'give each another chance' and claimed 'all was not lost in their marriage.' But the journalists who broke the story of their shock split have shot down the chances of a fresh start for Pep and Cristina after their decision to call time on their 30-year relationship. Lorena Vasquez, one of a duo of well-respected Spanish showbiz reporters who call themselves the Mamarazzis, went on a Spanish TV show in February to say they had launched divorce proceedings which were 'amicable' because they were using the same lawyer. She also linked the split again to the Man City manager's unexpected decision last November to renew his contract with the Premier League club until 2027.
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Actress responds to rumours about return of popular crime drama
Vicky McClure commented on the potential return of the BBC crime drama Line of Duty for a seventh season. Her co-star Adrian Dunbar had previously indicated the show was poised to return next year, with writer Jed Mercurio working on a script. Dunbar also mentioned that discussions about the series' future were ongoing with the BBC. McClure, who portrayed DI Kate Fleming, stated simply, "There's nothing to say" when asked about a new series on The One Show. Line of Duty originally aired from 2012 to 2021, concluding with the revelation of the corrupt senior police officer known as "H".
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ozzy Osbourne's cheeky farewell ode to one of most controversial career moments: 'He's had the last laugh'
once said he didn't want to be remembered as the man who bit off the head of a bat... but the acclaimed musician's burial place had a cheeky nod to the infamous moment. The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest this week on the grounds of his mansion in England. But that means the singer was buried just a stones throw away from multiple bat boxes - man-made structures designed to provide shelter for bats. He had them installed in his Buckinghamshire abode in 2022 - a possible attempt to make amends years after he was slammed by animal rights activists for ripping the head off a bat with his teeth live on stage (which he later defended by saying he thought it was fake). A source close to the singer told the Daily Mail that the irony of him being laid to rest so close to the bat habitats did not go unnoticed amongst his loved ones. 'The subject of the bat boxes in the grounds has prompted some real laughter and joy - something for sure Oz would approve of,' they said. 'You cannot even make it up. He has spent decades being caught up in this drama around bats and animal rights groups - and then he is there at his final resting place in a space used to help encourage bats thrive in the UK countryside. 'It has prompted quite a few laughs and funny reactions. It is like Ozzy had the last laugh.' Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, bought the 250-acre estate, known as Welders House, in 1993, and according to the insider, it was a place they often 'escaped' to when they needed a break from fame during the height of his career. '[The mansion] had been where he and Sharon escaped from the showbiz world in the 1990s and 2000s to simply focus on family,' they explained. 'Once again it showed how despite all the amazing rock and roll success and celebrity he had, in his heart he was always a family man.' The Daily Mail has reached out to the Osbourne family for comment. Ozzy announced that he planned moved back to Welders House permanently in 2022 after years of spending most of his time living in Los Angeles. At the time, he had the home revamped, adding the bat boxes, as well as a 'rehabilitation wing' following his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2020. Planning documents for a health and welfare exercise suite, a swimming pool, and decking were submitted to the local council in March that year. But his battle with Parkinson's and a crippling fall that exacerbated his old quad bike injury are thought to have delayed his return to the UK. Ozzy famously bit the head off a bat after a fan bizarrely hurled the animal on stage during a Black Sabbath show in January 1982. It's been debated whether or not the creature was alive at the time; Ozzy has claimed that it was and that he needed to be rushed to the hospital for a rabies shot, while audience member Mark Neal, who alleges he was the one to throw it, has insisted it was dead. Either way, Ozzy's mouth was seen filling with blood as the audience watched on in horror, and he never lived down the shocking incident. He has been repeatedly asked about the moment over the years, and he has long insisted that he initially thought the bat was a rubber toy rather than a live animal before he bit it. During a chat with the Los Angeles Daily News in 2020, Ozzy admitted he was worried the moment would become part of his legacy. 'It's not the way I want to be remembered [but] I know I'll be the man that bit the head off the bat,' he said.
