The One Show was forced to stop just minutes after going on air when the UK's emergency alert system was triggered, leaving presenter Alex Jones speechless and mistaking the sound for a fire alarm.
Presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were flustered as the loud alert sounds rang out across the studio during Friday's edition of the show (August 14). The episode was a special edition marking the programme's 20th anniversary.
Alert Interrupts 20th Anniversary Episode
Alex and Roman had just greeted viewers and begun running through the show's lineup when the alert went off. The sounds startled both presenters as they tried to continue without abandoning the programme.
As the phones rang out, Alex shook her head and shrugged, then quipped: "You couldn't make that up, could you − I think it's a fire alarm." Roman, clearly frazzled, asked: "Have we got some form of a fire alarm?" He was quickly reassured by the show's directors, who told them to continue.
Wildfire Warning Issued for England and Wales
The alert was delivered to England and Wales only, with Scotland and Northern Ireland unaffected. It called for awareness of wildfires as hot weather continues to impact the country. The government issued a warning for the alert just minutes before the message went out, leading many to complain about the lack of prior notice.
A clip of the incident quickly spread on social media, with TV critic Scott Bryant joking: "The government alert is causing chaos on television." He later added: "I always knew the end of the world would be on The One Show in some form." A second viewer joked: "Alex saying it's a fire alarm is so ironic." A third noticed Christine Lampard in the background and commented: "I thought Christine Lampard had died for some reason. Anyway as you were."
