During the BBC Breakfast show on Friday, presenter Naga Munchetty experienced an unexpected on-air mishap that caused a flurry of amusement and light-hearted banter. The 50-year-old host accidentally kicked her water bottle under the desk, creating a notable noise during the live broadcast.

Co-host Charlie Stayt, aged 62, quickly seized the moment to tease Munchetty, asking, “Are you so angry about this next story that you’re now kicking things under the table? What is happening here?” Munchetty acknowledged the slip with a wry expression, responding, “It was my water bottle.” Undeterred, she swiftly refocused on the programme, stating, “But this does rile me, it really riles me.”

This incident took place as the duo discussed a proposal from the Liberal Democrats to ban loud music and videos played on phones without headphones on public transport in England. The suggested legislation, aiming to amend the Bus Services Bill currently under consideration in the House of Lords, would impose fines of up to £1,000 for those caught breaching the rules. The proposal builds on existing railway byelaws that curb behaviours such as spitting, littering, and the use of offensive language.

Charlie Stayt highlighted the common issue, saying, “If you’re in a public space and someone is loud on their device, so they’re playing something or talking, having a conversation with someone else…” At this point, Munchetty interjected to share her frustration: “Playing videos or playing music out loud without headphones, it really drives me mad and then you end up being that person who glares at them but you don’t want to glare at them too much because you don’t want to get into a row.”

The segment included a report from BBC journalist Jayne McCubbin, who took her phone on a train journey to investigate public reaction to loud phone usage. Many travellers appeared indifferent to the disturbance caused by others playing audio without headphones. Back in the studio, Munchetty expressed her disbelief about this lack of awareness, commenting, “I just don’t understand how they don’t see that it is really annoying. It is just interrupting everyone’s space of silence.”

BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One and is also available on BBC iPlayer.

Source: Noah Wire Services