Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Ben Thompson Hosts BBC Breakfast Solo, Shares First-Job Anecdote After ‘Googly Eye’ Seagull Segment

A rare one-presenter edition followed a research-led seagull test that set a playful tone.

Overview

  • BBC Breakfast presenters Naga Munchetty and Ben Thompson broke into laughter during a Saturday segment that tested whether stick-on eyes on takeaway boxes deter seagulls.
  • University of Exeter ecologist Dr Laura Kelly said gulls were far less likely to approach food containers that displayed eyes, pointing to a low-cost way to protect snacks.
  • Reporter Jake Zuckerman trialed the idea in Cleethorpes with a polystyrene box fitted with wobbling eyes, then stuck eyes on doughnuts and ice creams before a puppet-style sign-off that cracked up the studio.
  • Thompson, hosting alone on Sunday, asked viewers to share memories of their first jobs after a piece reported youth unemployment at its highest level in more than a decade.
  • He added that his own first job was watering hanging baskets at a garden centre, and viewers on X noted the one-host setup and asked about the absent co-presenter.