The One Show halted by fire alarm

The One Show halted by fire alarm
The One Show halted by fire alarm (Image credit: BBC)

Viewers of the BBC's The One Show have been left bewildered after the live programme was taken off air because of a fire alarm. The alarm sounded while presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones interviewed actress Tamsin Greig. As the noise continued in the background, the presenters looked bemused, with Alex saying: "Oh, I think that's our fire alarm. We'll link to a VT just in case." The alarm then stopped and the presenters attempted to continue the programme, with Matt filling in time by joking: "What do you get if you cross cows and bats?" A rather confused Tamsin answered with "battle?", as a cautionary announcement advising people not to use the lift could be heard. As the alarm sounded for the second time, Alex then corrected Tamsin, saying "what you get is very happy bats" before saying "we're going to pop out, you're watching a VT". The daily magazine show was then cut short, with a recording of culinary show Simple Suppers filling the slot. A BBC spokesman said there was no fire but the reason for the alarm at the BBC's White City studio in London was unknown. She said: "The One Show went off air tonight due to a fire alarm. We apologise to viewers for the interruption and normal service was resumed on BBC One as soon as possible." Only a small number of BBC staff were evacuated.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.