BBC News at Ten was hit by a technical fault on Tuesday night, leaving anchor Huw Edwards sitting in silence for four minutes as viewers watched him read notes. The programme, which was due to start at 10pm, eventually began at 10:04pm after a system crash.
On BBC One, a message apologising for the fault was displayed along with saxophone music, while the BBC News Channel showed Edwards sitting mute. BBC iPlayer viewers heard an announcer apologise, and breaking news alerts appeared during the delay.
Edwards later told Radio 4's The Media Show that he realised something was wrong 40 seconds before the bulletin was due to start, hearing 'pandemonium' in the background. He said nobody told him he was on air until two minutes into the delay, so he 'took the most conservative approach possible' and sat reading notes.
Paul Royall, editor of BBC News bulletins, confirmed a 'technical system crash' occurred seconds before the programme, forcing a switch to a backup system. He praised Edwards for handling the situation well. After the broadcast, Edwards tweeted a toast in Welsh with a picture of a beer can.
The glitch sparked reactions on social media, with one user comparing Edwards' worried expression to 'how I imagine the world would end'. Edwards also retweeted a fan account that said waiting for the delayed programme was 'still better than ITV'.
ITV's Good Morning Britain also faced technical issues on Wednesday morning, attributed to hot weather overheating equipment at its transmission centre. Hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid apologised after the programme briefly cut to a black screen and technical clock.
