Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Jon Kay, Ben Thompson, Sally Nugent© BBC

BBC Breakfast's Jon Kay misses show amid co-star's return in latest sofa shake-up

Sally Nugent returned to the red sofa after last week's absence

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
July 2, 2024
Share this:

The BBC Breakfast sofa looked a little different on Tuesday morning as Jon Kay was missing from the show, with BBC News presenter Ben Thompson standing in alongside Sally Nugent. 

Jon, who joined the show in 2009 and has been a main presenter since 2022, has yet to address his absence. 

Ben Thompson and Sally Nugent on BBC Breakfast© BBC
Ben Thompson stepped in for Jon Kay on Tuesday

This isn't the first presenter shake-up in recent months. Last week, Sarah Campbell stepped in for Sally, who missed all three programmes. Sally and Jon usually host the show from Monday to Wednesday each week before handing the reins to Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt from Thursday to Saturday.

Jon's absence comes shortly after the journalist celebrated a huge milestone for the programme. Taking to Instagram last week, Jon revealed that it had been one year since the show underwent a huge transformation for the first time in ten years, with a new multipurpose studio featuring the latest broadcasting technology.  

Jon Kay on BBC Breakfast© BBC/James Stack
Jon was absent from the show on Tuesday

"It was exactly a year ago today that we moved into our lovely new studio," Jon penned. "Over the last twelve months our team has interviewed hundreds of guests on the sofa, covered thousands of stories and last month welcomed the BBC News at One to join us in Salford. Happy Birthday studio!"

While Jon was missing from our screens on Tuesday, viewers can expect to see more of the 54-year-old and some of his BBC Breakfast co-stars amid the relocation of the BBC One O'clock News from London to Salford. 

View post on Instagram
 

Jon, Sally and their co-star Nina Warhurst are the new faces of the afternoon news programme, alongside Ben Brown, Anna Foster, and Tina Daheley. 

The landmark move makes the News at One the first daily network TV news bulletin to be produced and broadcast from outside London. The BBC said the change forms part of its Across the UK (ATUK) plan, which aims to "move power and decision-making across the country to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the UK".

BBC News at One presenters: Ben Brown, Anna Foster, Tina Daheley, Jon Kay, Nina Warhurst and Sally Nugent© BBC
Ben Brown, Anna Foster, Tina Daheley, Jon Kay, Nina Warhurst and Sally Nugent are the new faces of BBC News at One

Marking her first time presenting the show back in June, Nina penned on Instagram: "We are all very proud that this institution has come to Salford (the faces say it all!) and very grateful to our London colleagues for nurturing a brilliant programme and sharing it with us.

"We promise to look after it," she added.

The line-up of BBC Breakfast presenters

Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty on BBC Breakfast© BBC
  1. Charlie Stayt

    The journalist joined BBC Breakfast back in 2006 and now hosts the show alongside Naga Munchetty from Thursday to Saturday. Prior to joining the BBC, Charlie was the principal anchor of Five News, fronting the programme's 9/11 coverage and Millennium celebrations.
  2. Naga Munchetty

    The presenter joined the line-up of main presenters in 2014. Before landing a role on BBC Breakfast, she appeared on BBC World News, as well as BBC Two's weekday financial affairs programme, Working Lunch.
  3. Sally Nugent

    Sally has been a main presenter on the show since 2021, replacing Louise Minchin following her departure after 20 years. Sally previously worked as a sports presenter on the show and covered various major sporting events for the BBC, including Emma Raducanu's historic victory in the US Open tennis championship in 2021.
  4. Jon Kay

    The newsreader and journalist took over from Dan Walker following his exit in 2022. He previously worked as a news correspondent for BBC News at Six and covered major events such as the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 general election campaign.
  5. Carol Kirkwood

    Carol is the show's main weather presenter and has been waking up the nation with the weather forecast on the BBC for 30 years.
  6. Nina Warhurst

    Nina is the show's main business presenter, having taken over from Steph McGovern in 2020. She often fills in as an anchor on the red sofa when the main hosts are absent.
  7.  Ben Thompson

    Ben is a relief presenter and regularly stands in for the main hosts when they are away from the red sofa. He can also be seen on BBC News.
  8. John Watson

    John is a sports presenter and has been working for the BBC since 2012, providing viewers will all the latest sports news and stories.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more