Bill Turnbull gets a grilling from his BBC Breakfast colleagues
The presenter talks about his funniest memories with his Breakfast co-presenters and crowns his favourite presenter before leaving the BBC morning show
CAROL KIRKWOOD: What’s the funniest thing you’ve witnessed on air?
BILL TURNBULL: The one I dine out on is the day that Carol promised to get her jugs out on air. She was doing a forecast at 7.15am from the Blue Peter garden about a drought we were experiencing at the time. She had two large flagons of coloured liquid — one represented the amount of rainfall we’d see in a normal year and the other, which was half full, represented what we’d actually had. Then at 7.45pm, she did another forecast — but this time without the demonstration. So I said at the end: “Are we going to get an explanation of the drought?” And she replied: “Oh, my jugs? I’ll have them out again at quarter past.” I remember digging my fingernails into my hand to stop myself laughing.
NAGA MUNCHETTY: How many times have you sworn on live TV? And who’s the cheekiest presenter you’ve worked with?
BILL: She knows the answer because she was sitting on the sofa at the time. Just the once. And she didn’t notice. Cheekiest presenter? Naga Munchetty, without question. She’s always trying to hug me. Fortunately not on air.
LOUISE MINCHIN: Who is your favourite Breakfast presenter? (He’d better say me!)
BILL: Louise Minchin is, I think, the official answer to that question. However, it would be undiplomatic of me not to mention others as my favourites, too. There was Sian Williams, who’s terrific to work with. Mishal Husain, whom I didn’t work with for nearly long enough. And Susanna Reid, whom I have known for many years. I really admired her.
SALLY NUGENT: Can I have your secret porridge recipe that’s kept you going for the past 100 years?
BILL: 100 years? She’s got a cheek. She’s been looking at my teeth.
STEPH McGOVERN: Do you wish you had a regional accent? Has your posh voice held you back?
BILL: Yes, I wish I came from Middlesbrough, where Steph is from. The reason for that question is because occasionally I have suggested to Steph that the word “poor” might be one syllable and not two.
Bill Turnbull will present his final BBC Breakfast on Friday 26th February
