Naga Munchetty is to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years to join Radio 5 Live’s flagship morning show following a furore over bullying claims.
The broadcaster, 51, will front the radio breakfast show, taking over from hosts Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards, who announced they will be stepping down in December.
Munchetty will disappear from TV screens and take over the slot from the new year, having already hosted the weekday mid-morning programme since January 2021.
Her shuffling towards a full-time radio job comes after a series of controversies involving the presenter.
Her future at BBC Breakfast was thrown into doubt last year due to a formal probe being launched over allegations she had bullied a junior staffer.
It was also reported the broadcaster was called into a meeting over a sex jibe made during an ad break on her radio programme.
Despite this, a BBC 5 Live insider told the Daily Mail of the move: ‘It’s brilliant for Naga – and she’s giving [BBC Breakfast editor Richard] Frediani two fingers.
‘It’s a big promotion for her – and a massive coup for us.’
The probe into Munchetty was launched after an internal review of bullying and misconduct allegations was opened into the beleaguered flagship breakfast programme last year.
This followed BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani taking an extended period of leave after facing his own allegations of bullying and misconduct.
Naga Munchetty is to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years to join Radio 5 Live’s flagship morning show
Munchetty will take over the breakfast slot from the new year, having already become a familiar voice to the station’s listeners after hosting the weekday mid-morning programme since January 2021
At the time, it was reported Munchetty was amongst those to have raised concerns about his conduct. He has since been cleared of wrongdoing.
A formal investigation was then launched into Munchetty – who was said to be ‘barely speaking’ to Frediani – over bullying claims in November.
The BBC has repeatedly declined to comment on the allegations, saying: ‘We do not comment on individual HR matters.’
Munchetty was reportedly spoken to by executives after a junior staffer accused the journalist of bullying them.
The presenter was allowed to remain on-air at the channel as the probe takes place, but is said to only be working with certain producers.
She was also reportedly hauled into a meeting after she was accused of making a sex jibe during an ad break while hosting her radio show.
The presenter is believed to have used a crude slang term for a sex act and reportedly asked a colleague if they had ever done it.
Earlier this month it was revealed Munchetty had received another pay rise, meaning her annual salary is now between £360,000 and £364,999 per year.
This took her to number eight on the list of the BBC’s highest paid employees – although this applies only to those paid directly by the corporation, excluding stars who are instead salaried through production firms or other third-party companies.
Munchetty also came under fire in recent weeks after it emerged she was raking in thousands of pounds in extra cash in addition to her substantial salary.
Latest documents released by the BBC – which have a three-month lag – show that Naga was involved in three glam events in January and February.
In January, she hosted a panel discussion about ‘access to the creative industries’ at Soho House in Manchester, which the likes of Noel Gallagher attended for The BRIT Awards after-party in February.
The star was joined by New Order legend Peter Hook and Soho House CEO Andrew Carnie and was paid up to £5,000 for the event.
The previous week, she travelled to the Middle East to attend the Emirates Festival of Literature in Dubai.
There, she gave a talk on her book ‘It’s Probably Nothing’, which discusses her own experiences with the country’s healthcare and the bias against women in the medical profession.
Munchetty will take over from current hosts Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards, who announced they will be stepping down in December
