BBC fans rage ‘how much does this cost’ as they complain | TV and Radio | Showbiz and TV

BBC Breakfast sparked a backlash from viewers after Jon Kay was not in the studio on Monday. Instead the presenter was reporting on the recent election in the United States.

At the beginning of the program, Sally Nugent and Ben Thompson greeted viewers on the red sofa before moving on to Jon via video link.

“Good morning and welcome to breakfast with Ben Thompson. Sally Nugent‘ Sally began.

“Good morning,” Ben continued, before turning his attention to Monday’s main news headlines. The cameras then quickly moved to Jon presenting live in Washington.

He said: “Good morning from Washington. Here we are this week with the conclusion of this extraordinary race.”

He added: “Whoever wins, history will be made.”

However, fans were outraged by the decision to send Jon to America to report. One fan, who took to X to comment on the move, raged: “We need armchair host Jon Kay in Washington because…” (sic)

Another agreed: “@BBCBreakfast and @jonkay01 What’s the point of having Jon Kay in the US? Surely you could have used one of your existing US correspondents who probably has more knowledge and frankly costs a lot less.”

A third continued: “You’re sending a reporter at great expense when you probably already have one there.”

“How much does this cost license payers?” someone else asked, and another echoed: “Hey this isn’t a travelogue! You shouldn’t be there at the expense of license payers.”

“Licensing fee money spent on foreign sweets for breakfast hosts,” one viewer complained.

Despite the complaints, not all viewers shared the same opinion, as one fan wrote on X: “Jon Kay 01… You should try to break America while you’re there… Get a job at Fox News!!!”

“Great idea,” replied another.

Elsewhere in the programme, Sally confirmed: BBC Breakfast will feature an exclusive interview with Chris Hoy on Tuesday’s show.

In a pre-recorded interview, Sally caught up with the Olympic cycling legend, who was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer last year. He spoke with the following names in the interview: BBC Presenter who talks about finding hope even in the darkest days.

BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am BBC One.