Naga Munchetty to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years for Radio 5 Live flagship role
Naga Munchetty is leaving BBC Breakfast to become the new host of BBC Radio 5 Live's flagship morning programme, the corporation has announced.
The move brings to an end Munchetty's 17-year association with the television breakfast show, which began when she joined as a stand-in presenter in April 2009. She became a regular presenter in 2014, replacing Susanna Reid.
Changes to Radio 5 Live Breakfast line-up
Munchetty will take over the Radio 5 Live Breakfast slot, replacing Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards who have co-presented the show since Edwards joined in 2021. Burden, who has hosted the breakfast slot for 15 years, will move to the mid-morning programme. Edwards will present Fighting Talk on Saturday mornings.
The presenter has maintained a presence on BBC Radio 5 Live since January 2021, when she took over the mid-morning show from 11am to 1pm on Mondays to Wednesdays. That slot had previously been held by Emma Barnett, who moved to Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
BBC Breakfast's history and success
BBC Breakfast, which Munchetty is departing, remains the UK's most-watched morning television programme. The show is broadcast live from MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester, where production relocated in April 2012. The programme has been on air for over 40 years, having launched as Breakfast Time on 17 January 1983 as the UK's first national breakfast television show.
Context of workplace culture at the BBC
The move comes amid a period of scrutiny over workplace culture at the BBC. In April 2025, the corporation published findings of a workplace culture review which found that some stars and managers behave unacceptably at work and bosses often fail to tackle them, though the review concluded there was no evidence of a toxic culture overall.
Richard Frediani has served as editor of BBC Breakfast since September 2019, overseeing the programme from its Salford base while also editing the News at One bulletin. Under his editorship, the show won its first BAFTA in its 40-year history in May 2024, receiving the award for best TV news coverage for a special episode about the Post Office scandal.
Previous controversies
Munchetty has previously faced controversy during her BBC Breakfast tenure. In 2019, the BBC initially partially upheld a complaint against her over comments she made about Donald Trump's racist language. However, BBC Director General Lord Hall reversed the decision after public backlash and an open letter signed by more than 40 black presenters, actors and broadcasters.
The BBC has maintained a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and harassment since a Respect at Work review was conducted in 2013 following the Jimmy Savile scandal. The corporation updated its anti-bullying and harassment policy in April 2025, launching new codes of conduct for presenters and implementing a more robust disciplinary policy.
