Yahoo News Sally Nugent stunned by TV licence fee protester on BBC Breakfast
A disgruntled protester seized the opportunity to interrupt a live broadcast.
Watch: BBC Breakfast disrupted by protestor
What did you miss?
BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent was left flustered on Tuesday morning when a passerby took his chance to interrupt a live broadcast with a loud complaint about the TV licence fee.
The BBC One morning news show was airing a live link up to Manchester Piccadilly station to talk about HS2 when the protester elbowed his way into shot and shouted his complaint, leaving Nugent, back in the studio, looking stunned as she moved the show onto a different subject.
What, how, and why?
BBC Breakfast linked up with money and work reporter Peter Ruddick on Tuesday morning for a live segment from outside of Manchester Piccadilly station.
Ruddick was talking about progress on the HS2 project as prime minister Rishi Sunak allegedly prepares to axe the northern part of the system, citing rising costs.
But one passerby was more concerned about the rising costs of the TV licence – and realised a live broadcast on BBC Breakfast was the ideal place to make his point.
hahaha "slash the license fee ya greedy vu-..." 😂😂#BBCBreakfast #bbcnews #GMB pic.twitter.com/VwhPKgUWHF
— Danny (@DannyDenayTV) October 3, 2023
He jostled Ruddick out of the way mid-sentence to shout into the camera: "Slash the TV licence fee! The greedy, vulgar BBC..."
Ruddick looked taken aback by the interruption and stood awkwardly next to the protester before the shot abruptly cut back to the studio.
Nugent, sitting on the BBC Breakfast sofa, appeared to be looking over at someone off screen for a cue about what to do next as she looked flustered.
Nugent said: "Erm...Peter having a little bit of unwanted attention there, so let's move on shall we for the time-being."
Next up was political correspondent Henry Zeffman and as Nugent introduced him, she joked: "Morning Henry, hope it’s a little bit quieter where you are."
One viewer tweeted: "Love BBC Breakfast just now - have a look! "Slash the TV licence fee""
Someone else added: "Lmao, man crashes BBC Breakfast shouting to trash the BBC licence fee."
Another person agreed with the protester, writing: "Most sensible thing said in TV this morning “scrap the tv licence fee”"
The TV licence fee is currently frozen at £159 a year, but is due to rise annually in line with inflation for four years from 1 April, 2024.
What else has been happening on BBC Breakfast?
Ruddick isn't the only reporter to have had his live broadcast hijacked by members of the public annoyed at the TV licence fee.
Nina Warhurst was interrupted in Salford Quays earlier this year by a protester who looked strikingly similar to the man at Manchester Piccadilly.
She was reporting on the rising costs of ingredients for business owners and their knock-on price rise for customers from outside an ice cream van when the man burst in on the broadcast, shouting "licence fee" and pointing at the camera before the broadcast cut back to the studio.
