By Rosie Millard

Published: Friday, 13 January 2023 at 12:00 am

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These interviews originally appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt

I’m talking to Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt – who are of course on first-name terms with us all – directly after a Thursday morning stint presenting BBC Breakfast. Naga is wearing an elegant dark dress; Charlie is in a suit and tie. The informal names alongside the office outfits are key, since they summarise the success but also the challenge of the 40-year-old show.

How has it lasted so long? “At breakfast, viewers want people who are familiar,” says Naga, who first appeared on the show in 2009. “The programme has always been able to channel what people are experiencing in real life.”

Charlie, who joined the programme in 2006, maintains that although the ratio between hard news and fluff may ebb and flow, the principle has always been the same: “Trust, familiarity and a rapport with the audience. Every day is different, but we tailor the product to suit what is best for the viewer.”

Was it always thus? Certainly not. Forty years ago, Breakfast Time, as it was then called, was a show fronted by people in jumpers, most notably those belonging to presenter Frank Bough. There was less evidence of politicians or a news agenda. Breakfast Time was light entertainment; Radio 4’s Today was where the politicians hung out and the daily agenda was set.

How things have changed. Ministers now regularly appear and in 2021, BBC Breakfast won the prestigious Scoop of the Year from the Royal Television Society for its coverage of the free school meal debate centred around Sally Nugent’s interview with Marcus Rashford and his quest to end child food poverty. And all the while still maintaining the notion of a “family” of presenters sitting on sofas.

For Charlie, BBC Breakfast achieved a national step change at one key moment. “The pandemic. That was a moment when news meant so much to people. If you were looking towards a moment in time when it delivered, that was it. This programme, I believe, is news, front and centre. The Marcus Rashford story was so crucial, because it resonated with the audience. He became a mouthpiece of what people were thinking in their daily lives.”

Yet it’s one thing to be news “front and centre” within a 30-minute bulletin. Over three hours, there have to be some quite crazy gear changes between light and shade. The show is now fronted by Jon Kay and Sally Nugent from Monday to Wednesday and Charlie and Naga from Thursday to Saturday, and this is a skill they must all share.

“Well, in those moments, honesty is the best policy,” says Charlie. “This is how live broadcasting has changed. The audience trusts our ability to broadcast difficult things. If you are coming off the back of a difficult story, you need to be straightforward about it.”

Naga agrees. “Everyone knows that laughter is part of life, and so when we do those handbrake turns out of a very challenging item and move into something lighter, we know our viewers will manage, because they want us to reflect real life. Recently we interviewed three dads who had all lost their daughters to suicide. And in the course of the interview, we had light and shade and even a bit of a laugh. They were real people who laugh and cry.”

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Audi

How do they regard ITV1’s Good Morning Britain, currently presided over by former BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid?

“I think competition is great,” says Charlie, slightly unconvincingly. “I don’t think any morning TV programme is arrogant enough to think the whole audience only wants to see them. But we stick to our ethos, and it resonates with our audience.”

Indeed, it seems to. The current ratings reveal that since the pandemic, BBC Breakfast has stolen a march on ITV, particularly since Piers Morgan’s departure. “We are all journalists trying to facilitate the telling of a story,” says Naga. “Good luck to them.”

Reid left the BBC sofa in 2014, two years after the show moved from London to Salford. Naga’s view of the controversial relocation? “I’ve seen access to things improve rather than diminish. It’s a good thing to be spread better across the UK and hear different accents on the show.”

So, the questions that people always ask? “For me, it’s always the same,” says Naga. “What time do you get up in the morning? My first alarm goes off at 3:45am. I have a very tight schedule, and a very organised morning, my work outfit is always laid out the night before. But I do have a system of snoozing before getting out of bed.”

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Charlie shakes his head. “I refuse to snooze. As soon as the alarm goes off, I am up. The other thing is, I embrace the siesta. It’s become a big thing for me. I sort of sit down in the afternoon and consciously do nothing. No snooze and have a siesta, that’s the formula.”

How about that other perennial question? “Oh, you mean, ‘Does Charlie wear a wig?’ I always say ‘Yes he does,’” laughs Naga. “It’s an ongoing debate,” sighs Charlie. “It’s even been addressed by Liza Minnelli, who leaned forward and pulled my hair just to test it. I suppose it goes back to the idea of being a family for the audience,” he continues. “You’re in their living room, or kitchen, for a long time each day and they have the right, in a nice way, to engage with you.”

Naga agrees. “Newscasters used to be seen as distant figures, people who sit down and tell you the news, but now it’s about being relatable. Actually in terms of hair, I think we are the only duo in telly where the woman has shorter hair than the man.”

Apart from hair issues, do they get any other comments on appearance on social media? “Well, very wisely, Charlie is not on Twitter,” says Naga. “He doesn’t engage, so he doesn’t see any comments. I get more comments than Charlie but I think also that is because men just wear suits, so there isn’t really too much to object to, whereas I don’t wear suits and buy my own clothes. So inevitably people think they can comment on what I wear.”