Piers Morgan smashes BBC Breakfast mug live on air as Dan Walker feud escalates

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His editor had apparently been "fraternising" with Morgan's "enemies" over on the famous red sofa and had arrived back at the studio with a souvenir.

Either Morgan either keeps a hammer under the desk at all times (possible) or demanded one especially for the occasion (also possible), because he immediately grabbed the weapon, marched into the middle of the studio and smashed it to pieces as Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins looked on in mock-horror. "That is not the spirit of Christmas," Reid reprimanded him.

So what's the beef?

"I did to the mug what we've been doing to their ratings all year," Morgan said. "This is the shattered remains of the BBC Breakfast mug – which is certainly a metaphor if you read the BBC's own website on how the competition has been going between this year."

Ah, the ratings war. Morgan has been feuding with Dan Walker over that for weeks, claiming to be winning the battle with a surge in Good Morning Britain ratings.

But even with a "surge", there's still a long way to go - with Walker pointing out that GMB attracts an average audience of just 640,000 – with rival show BBC Breakfast ahead with 1.5 million people per day.

Oh, and the two have also been thrashing it out on Twitter about the results of our RadioTimes.com Best Breakfast Presenter poll, won by Eamonn Holmes.

As Morgan bragged about beating Walker by coming in third place, the BBC's breakfast presenter hit back: "Are you celebrating not being the best?"

It remains to be seen whether the BBC Breakfast team will get hold of a Good Morning Britain mug before tomorrow's show...