It is the wholesome morning programme beloved by millions for its gentle, no-fuss take on the day’s headlines – and for holding itself just a cut above its brasher ITV rival Good Morning Britain.
But behind the scenes at the BBC Breakfast, things are far less serene.
As was revealed over the weekend, tensions are boiling over within the Breakfast team, with some staff expressing unhappiness with the show’s bullish editor Richard Frediani – accused by insiders of being on occasion ‘aggressive’ and ‘belittling’ towards his underlings.
And yet, despite past complaints, Frediani hasn’t just held on to his role, but gained even more power. He now oversees BBC News at One, a move that has caused resentment among some employees.
One member of staff who does not appear to be in the Frediani fan club is none other than presenter Naga Munchetty, BBC Breakfast‘s most high-profile anchor following the departures of Louise Minchin and Dan Walker.
Sources on the show say that she has expressed uneasiness about his behaviour to bosses at the corporation.
Naga Munchetty , BBC Breakfast ‘s most high-profile anchor following the departures of Louise Minchin and Dan Walker
Richard Frediani is accused by insiders of being on occasion ‘aggressive’ and ‘belittling’ towards his underlings
An insider says that Munchetty is ‘quite open’ about her ill-feeling towards Frediani. Another says that she has an ‘uneasy relationship’ with him.
Munchetty, according to other colleagues, isn’t ‘someone to be messed with’. And now her co-star Charlie Stayt is also said to have similar views about Frediani.
The Mail can reveal that displeasure is intensifying at the BBC’s northern base in Salford, where staff have watched Frediani’s rise – from Breakfast boss to arguably the most powerful BBC editor outside London – with growing disbelief.
One says ‘You have to wonder what on earth is going on. The BBC claims to be this no-nonsense, woke, kind place – yet Fredi has been able to keep climbing the ladder. HR and his bosses are aware of [past] bullying claims against him.
‘He’s still allowed to hire, as we saw with Nina [Warhurst, who has just been appointed a regular presenter] this week, and presumably fire. He has so much power, it doesn’t feel right at all.’
The ordeal began last week, when media and entertainment industry news site Deadline alleged that Frediani was the subject of at least two misconduct complaints, including one from a woman who had her grievance upheld after claiming that the Breakfast editor physically shook her during a heated newsroom exchange last year.
Others also came forward with their experiences. One person claimed to have witnessed an incident in 2019, during which a ‘clearly angry’ Richard backed a Breakfast colleague up against a wall and was ‘jabbing his finger’ as he voiced displeasure about that morning’s show.
The website reports that two sources alleged that Frediani is also known for ‘screaming’ down the phone at other BBC News desks and complaining about the quality of content they hand over to the Breakfast show.
Whether these allegations were upheld or dismissed is not known.
I first revealed widespread internal dissatisfaction with Frediani in 2020, less than a year into his reign as editor of BBC Breakfast, after he was poached from ITV News. During the pandemic, I was inundated with anonymous emails from staff at BBC Breakfast which said a series of complaints have been made to the corporation’s management and its HR department about an ‘intimidating and bullying’ culture, which had led to long-term members of staff leaving their jobs.
One employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said ‘the whole atmosphere has become poisonous’ and like a ‘boys’ club’. Again, it is unclear whether these allegations were upheld or dismissed.
After the story was published in The Mail on Sunday, a number of people who had worked with Frediani got in touch with me. They said he was unpleasant to them during his tenure at ITV where he served as head of news. They were devastated – but not surprised – to hear that there were allegations that he had gone on to behave ‘aggressively’ in his new role.
One wrote: ‘I read your piece about Richard Frediani, recognising a lot of his character. I and others who suffered under him at ITV expected this would happen.’
So why, despite these claims about his behaviour at work, did Frediani continue to rise through the ranks?
The answer appears to lie with the Beeb’s current chief executive of news, Deborah Turness. As CEO of ITN until 2022, she was Frediani’s boss and they latterly joined up again when she joined the corporation.
Sources at the BBC say she was ‘involved’ in his rise to become the boss of News at One – though senior sources at the Corporation strongly deny it, insisting it was not a promotion but an addition to his existing job. The BBC would not answer questions over whether he’d had a pay rise.
BBC Breakfast staff tell me they are far from happy that Turness is still backing Frediani.
‘There is no way she hasn’t heard what we have all heard,’ says one insider. ‘It was written about as far back as 2020 so surely she must have seen that.’
Munchetty, according to other colleagues, isn’t ‘someone to be messed with’. And now her co-star Charlie Stayt (pictured together) is also said to have similar views about Frediani
BBC’s chief executive of news, Deborah Turness
Judging by her behaviour, one employee who appears to take issue with Frediani is BBC Radio 2 newsreader Tina Daheley. She was announced as a presenter on News at One last May but has not yet appeared on air. Sources at the broadcaster say Daheley had reservations about her boss after their conversations about the role last year. The situation, however, remains unclear.
The issue was likely exacerbated by a mistake by the BBC press office in announcing News at One’s presenting line-up. The press release featured images of the white news anchors but did not picture Daheley, who is of South Asian descent. The press office took full responsibility for the error, which was quickly corrected after Daheley voiced her dismay. Frediani is understood to have apologised to her.
Frediani has been described as one of the most talented British TV news editors of his generation, who worked his way up from being a local radio reporter in his native city of Preston.
Insiders say he has an instinctive understanding of audiences outside London, something he is said to take great pride in as the metropolitan Beeb is often accused of being too focused on the capital. Frediani’s obvious talent would seem to indicate that he is not going anywhere.
Yet the allegations against Frediani – who was approached by The Daily Mail before publication but did not respond to a request for comment – come at a delicate moment, as the BBC prepares to publish an external review of its workplace culture later this month, following a series of scandals about the conduct of powerful men at the corporation.
Tim Davie, the director-general, has said he wants the management consultancy leading the review to make practical recommendations about how managers can create a culture where there is ‘zero tolerance’ for wrongdoing.
The BBC said that it did not comment on individual HR issues. However, it stressed that the welfare of its employees takes priority, and it takes any complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously.
After allegations about Frediani’s behaviour were made, staff at Breakfast and News at One were emailed by John McAndrew, BBC News director of programmes, to remind them about the corporation’s approach to complaints of wrongdoing.
‘With regard to culture and behaviour – and this stands for all of our teams across the organisation – please be assured that if, or when, any allegations of any inappropriate behaviour come to me, they will be taken seriously, comprehensively investigated, and if upheld, action will be taken,’ he wrote.
Yet staff say this message is hard to take seriously.
‘The BBC claim to be such a wonderful employer and look after their staff,’ says one BBC source. ‘But it seems that’s more likely to be the case if you are in the gang.’
