The One Show interrupted by emergency wildfire alert

During a special 20th-anniversary broadcast of the BBC chat show ‘The One Show’, presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were interrupted by a government emergency alert sounding on mobile phones within the studio.

The alert, issued across England and Wales at 7pm, was a wildfire warning intended to urge residents, landowners, and visitors to avoid activities that could ignite a blaze, such as using fireworks or garden incinerators. The interruption occurred as the hosts were introducing the anniversary festivities.

While the presenters initially mistook the noise for a building fire alarm, they continued with the programme. The alert was part of a large-scale use of emergency alert technology prompted by high wildfire risks, including significant blazes in the West Midlands where a fire near Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes.