BBC bosses have been told to “get a grip” over its flagship breakfast show amid reports of off-air tensions and claims of “bullying”.
Insiders fear behind-the-scenes hostilities will spill over on screen when presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt are scheduled to next share the sofa at BBC Breakfast’s Salford studios on Thursday.
There are fears that Munchetty could even quit amid concerns over the conduct of editor, Richard “Fredi” Frediani, with the BBC understood to have launched a probe into bullying allegations.
The fraught atmosphere threatens to derail the BBC’s flagship morning show, which regularly beats its ITV rival Good Morning Britain in the ratings and relies on the chemistry between its presenting pairs.
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The unhappy working environment is said to extend to Munchetty and Stayt, who are reportedly at loggerheads with Frediani.
One news insider said: “Viewers will be looking for an eyeroll, a muttered aside, anything that could be interpreted to show there is trouble.
“They’ve let this situation rumble on in Salford for months. The bosses have to get a grip urgently. They need to knock some heads together before Thursday.”
It comes after The Sun claimed that there is a “toxic” atmosphere at the programme, with tensions even between presenters Stayt and Munchetty over how the situation should be handled.
Frediani is an award-winning editor who, in one misconduct incident, allegedly physically shook a lower-ranking female editor, with a subsequent complaint being upheld. He has not commented on the claims.
It is understood that the BBC will look at allegations of bullying made against Frediani dating back to 2019. The BBC has declined to comment publicly on whether it has opened an investigation
In a separate process, BBC News staff are being spoken to by managers about the outcome of a Workplace Culture Review which found that “a small number of individuals are said to behave unacceptably.”
Chairman Samir Shah pledged: “If you are a person who is prepared to abuse power or punch down or behave badly, there is no place for you at the BBC.”
Richard Frediani accepts the News Coverage Award for ‘BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special’ onstage during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards (Photo: John Phillips/BAFTA/Getty)Munchetty has previously insisted she and Charlie were “good friends”, amid reports they had fallen out.
Staffers believe Frediani is likely to survive the investigation, in part due to his status at the BBC.
Breakfast’s coverage of the Post Office scandal won a Bafta last month and the show regularly beats ITV rival GMB in the ratings by up to 400,000 viewers.
“I doubt they’ll oust him. Frediani also has influential supporters and allies,” said one BBC News figure.
Another said: “He can be abrasive, and some staff find him intimidating. He is totally driven but he also gets results and understands what morning viewers want.
“It looks like an HR-led internal probe, going back several years. You would need serious, new and substantiated claims to remove Frediani. He would be confident about defending himself.”
Munchetty, who joined Breakfast in 2014, could quit if she considers the atmosphere too “toxic” to continue, one news staffer speculated.
“Naga only presents three days a week. There is a roster of Breakfast presenters. The show would go on if she chose to quit,” they said.
Colleagues fear Naga Munchetty could quit BBC Breakfast (Photo: Getty)Munchetty lives in Hertfordshire with husband James Hagar, head of Studios at Rupert Murdoch’s News UK.
She stays in Manchester for the second half of the week when she presents Breakfast from the BBC’s Salford studios.
Her £350,000 salary is for Breakfast and the mid-morning Radio 5 Live show she also presents in London on Monday to Wednesday.
A colleague said: “Naga is not afraid of speaking her mind to management when she thinks something is wrong. But the BBC should be big enough to listen and respond to a senior on-air figure.”
BBC News CEO Deborah Turness, who previously oversaw Frediani when she ran ITN, has said she could not recall any complaints about him at the commercial news network.
A BBC spokesperson said: “While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values.
“We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.”
Frediani was approached for comment, along with representatives for Munchetty and Stayt.
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