Naga Munchetty’s appointment to the Radio 5 Live breakfast programme has triggered claims of special treatment, according to BBC sources. The presenter announced on Tuesday that she is leaving BBC Breakfast after 17 years and will move to 5 Live in January 2027, replacing Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards.
Munchetty, 51, is said to have quit BBC Breakfast for another BBC role as a “two fingers” to the bosses who investigated her over allegations of bullying and misconduct.
Special treatment claims
Sources at the BBC told the Mirror there is “consternation” behind the scenes at 5 Live over the corporation’s handling of her move. The “shoo-in” for the role has reportedly negotiated a deal to present three days a week in Salford and two days a week from London, near her Hertfordshire home.
Her prospective co-presenter will be expected to work five days a week in Salford. One source said: “Many don’t feel that is particularly fair, and that bosses have afforded her special treatment.”
BBC sources told the Mirror it was not unusual for 5 Live presenters to broadcast from different locations across the UK, and that it was normal for established presenters to move between programmes and for different presenting combinations to be tested.
Job advert raises eyebrows
Munchetty’s critics are also said to have “raised eyebrows” over the job advert to work alongside her amid the bullying row while she was on BBC Breakfast. The advert for the “chief presenter” lists attributes including a “warm personality with the ability to see the funny side of life”, the Mirror reports.
One source said: “The wording of the ad has raised a few eyebrows given all the hoo-ha on BBC Breakfast.”
Munchetty, who was not presenting the show on Saturday, was accused last year of being “hard” and “bullying” her co-workers and came under fire for two alleged incidents over a three-year period, according to a number of sources.
Bullying allegations
In 2022, she allegedly used a crude word for a sex act and asked a colleague if they had done it. The exact comment has not been reported, though one source claimed it was “crass, inappropriate and wildly unprofessional” and added: “The person felt embarrassed.”
Munchetty was also accused of bullying a woman last year, with The Sun claiming she allegedly accused a younger staffer of stealing without presenting evidence. An insider said: “It was humiliating. There was no evidence, no apology. The woman left not long after, completely demoralised.”
In a separate alleged incident, she was accused of telling off an intern over the quality of her Marmite on toast.
In November, BBC bosses reportedly escalated their review into an official investigation after more complaints were made. It was later claimed the broadcaster assigned watchdogs to keep a close eye on Munchetty in the studios while the probe took place; she was allowed to remain on air but would have members of production monitoring her. The investigation has since been “quietly closed”, The Sun reported, and its outcome was never made public.
Further controversies
Munchetty also faced backlash recently for seemingly “rude” comments towards Carol Kirkwood, 63, during the weather presenter’s last day in April. She made a series of playful remarks that viewers claimed were intended to “embarrass” Kirkwood, including saying she was “waiting for the countdown” for Kirkwood to go. After the backlash, sources insisted the pair are “close personal friends”.
She also ruffled feathers with a joke about Sally Nugent’s new hairstyle, saying: “We’re meant to be serious journalists, not trying to look like we’re presenting This Morning.” Additionally, she was said to have been on frosty terms with her co-host Charlie Stayt.
Munchetty currently presents BBC Breakfast alongside Stayt every Thursday to Saturday, having joined the show in 2009. She said of her departure: “Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. It will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I’m really looking forward to throwing myself into the role. Between now and January, I’ll continue presenting the two programmes I love. I’m sure there will be plenty of news to cover, and it will very much be business as usual.”
Burden and Edwards exit
Her Radio 5 Live predecessor Burden said she was “really sad” and struggling to “keep it together” as she announced hers and Rick Edwards’ exit on Tuesday. On air, Burden said: “I have some news to share, with you, ah, I really need to try and keep it together. I said I’d keep it together! We have been working together on 5 Live Breakfast for five years now, and I have been co-presenting this show for over 15 years. And I have loved, I think, almost every single minute of it. But we have both been thinking a lot in recent months about what comes next, and I guess how we meet sort of shifting priorities in our lives.”
She revealed they would step down from the Breakfast show in December, but Burden would still be working at 5 Live and is “never leaving this place”.
