Fire alarm hits Good Morning Britain

Updated
Good Morning Britain Studio Evacuated Live On TV
Good Morning Britain Studio Evacuated Live On TV


ITV has said the Good Morning Britain studios were evacuated this morning "as a precaution".

"It was an isolated incident which was quickly resolved," the broadcaster said in a statement.

Viewers at home were left watching a pre-recorded interview when the fire alarm went off mid-broadcast.

Presenters Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid were interviewing Emmerdale actors Charley Webb and Anthony Quinlan via a live link from Yorkshire when the alarm at the London Television Centre went off.

Reid said: "Terribly sorry."

Shephard added: "We have a little bit of drama in the studio. I don't know whether the Emmerdale scriptwriters have done something, but the fire alarm appears to be going off in the studio which has never, ever happened before."

Reid said: "I'm asking the director - does this mean we have to evacuate the studio? I think if you hear a fire alarm and you're told to evacuate the studio, it's probably a good idea to do so.

"I'm going to check we have a little bit of stand-by tape to run. If we do that."

Viewers could hear the automated voice on the alarm, saying: "Leave immediately by the nearest exit."

Reid said to the Emmerdale stars: "Thanks so much for talking to us, because we're leaving the studio and that means we're going to leave you with a little bit of what we call in the business stand-by tape."

The show switched to a pre-recorded 30-year-special with Lorraine Kelly and Shephard.

A message appeared on TV screens in the top right-hand corner, reading: "Sorry for the interruption to our normal programme we'll be back to the Lorraine studio as soon as possible."

Reid tweeted as soon as they returned, posting a photo of herself and Shephard with the caption: "Back in the building - all fine, only thing lost in the fire alert seems to be Ben's tie."

A member of staff at the building, who did not want to be named, said a "fuse box overheated and went on fire on the third floor".

Good Morning Britain is filmed on the third floor, he added.

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