BBC Breakfast co-host Naga Munchetty is leaving the show after 17 years, swapping the MediaCity TV sofa for the, also MediaCity-based, Radio 5 Live breakfast studio.
Munchetty initially joined BBC Breakfast as a finance reporter and has been one of the main hosts for the past 12 years.
She currently presents the TV show for three days a week and 5 Live’s mid-morning programme for another three days. From January, she will present 5 Live Breakfast five days a week.
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Munchetty said of the move: “I’m thrilled to be joining 5 Live Breakfast in January. Live news, great conversations and connecting with audiences are what I love most about broadcasting, and 5 Live does all of that brilliantly.”
She added: “It has been a privilege to be part of the BBC Breakfast TV team for the past 17 years, working alongside an incredibly talented and hard-working group of journalists who are not only outstanding colleagues but also great friends.
“Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. It will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I’m really looking forward to throwing myself into the role.”
The move comes after reports that Munchetty had faced allegations of bullying on the breakfast TV show, as well as reported tensions between Munchetty and co-host Charlie Stayt, with The Sun reporting that the allegations had caused BBC bosses to speak to Munchetty about her conduct, although there has been no suggestion that the two are linked. The BBC said of the allegations at the time that it does “not comment on individual HR matters.”
John McAndrew, the BBC’s director of live and daily news, said Munchetty would be “hugely missed by the millions of viewers who’ve welcomed her into their homes each week”.
He added: “I’m very pleased that Naga will be staying with the BBC and I wish her the best of luck at 5 Live.”
Her replacement on BBC Breakfast has not yet been announced, while 5 Live Breakfast will get a new co-host to join Munchetty in the radio studio.
The move also means that 5 Live Breakfast’s current hosts Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards will be leaving the programme.
Burden, who will move to Munchetty’s Monday-to-Wednesday mid-morning slot on 5 Live, said: “After 15 years hosting 5 Live Breakfast, I’ve decided it’s time for a change – and I’m really excited about launching my new show on the station.”
Edwards, who will remain host of weekend sport quiz Fighting Talk, said he would miss “our wonderful audience,” the team and Burden – who he described as “a colleague who has become a friend, and also a mentor, because she’s so much older than me”.
He added: “Two things I am of course looking forward to are not waking up at 3.45am, and vaping without fear of violent recrimination.”
Munchetty is among the best-paid presenters on the BBC’s star salaries list, earning about £360,000 a year, according to the latest accounts.
She has interviewed major celebrities and politicians on the programme over the years including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sir Keir Starmer and Sir David Attenborough. In 2016, she appeared as a contestant on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Image courtesy BBC
