‘BBC Breakfast’ viewers were left asking where the show had gone on Monday morning when it went off air, leaving presenter Dan Walker to ask “can someone put the plug back in?”
Thankfully, the interruption came during the middle of a segment about Theresa May’s attempts to get her Brexit deal through parliament.
Open Image Modal
Dan has hosted 'BBC Breakfast' since 2016
PA Wire/PA Images
During the confusion, Dan started tweeting about the technical issues, jokingly blaming them on a ‘flux capacitor’ - a reference to the engine that ran the time machine in the classic 80s movie ‘Back To The Future’.
He said: “Can you see us on BBC1? Have we gone somewhere? Can someone put the plug back in?”
When the show eventually returned, he said: “We’re back. The flux capacitor is working again.”
Even though the show was only off air for a few minutes, ‘Good Morning Britain’ host Piers Morgan was quick to pick up on their difficulties.
The ‘GMB’ host took delight in his rival morning programme’s plight, commenting: “Just hearing that our rivals at BBC Breakfast have had the plug pulled on them.”
Susanna Reid replied: “I can’t imagine who might have done that.”
Piers said: “We don’t know for how long but apparently it took a long time for anyone to realise.
“If you’ve been watching the BBC and you’re obviously bored - or maybe you’re finding the blank screen more interesting than their normal fare - come over here. We have power here in every sense.”
The mocking quickly spilled onto Twitter, with Piers asking Dan: ”Cut off for being too boring?”
Dan immediately hit back with: “Our black screen still had double your audience.”
Dan and Piers have long had a (mostly) playful rivalry over which of their morning programmes are the best.
Both ‘BBC Breakfast’ and ‘Good Morning Britain’ air weekdays at 6am.
21 Times Susanna Reid's Face Revealed The True Reality Of Working With Piers Morgan
(01 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
1. The ‘WTF is he on about now?’(02 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
2. The ‘I wonder if Holly Willoughby has to put up with this amount of crap from Phillip Schofield’(03 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
3. The ‘I never had to deal with this from Bill Turnbull’(04 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
4. The ‘haha, totally just got one up on him’(05 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
5. The ’20 years in the biz - how did it all come to this?′(06 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
6. The ‘my eyes couldn’t roll any more if they tried’(07 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
7. The ‘literally out of fucks to give’(08 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
8. The ‘get my agent on the phone, I can’t do this anymore’(09 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
9. The ‘perhaps if I pretend to look really, really, really happy, people won’t know how much I’m crying inside’(10 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
10. The ‘I’m going to be a national hero for this’(11 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
11. The ‘he’s just farted and it stinks’(12 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
12. The ‘rather you than me, love’(13 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
13. The ‘yep, he’s definitely talking bollocks again’(14 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
14. The ‘I would rather be anywhere else on God’s green earth than on this couch right now’(15 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
15. The ‘oh lord, he’s talking about politics again’(16 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
16. The ‘oh would you just fuck off’(17 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
17. The ‘touch me with that and I will set my lawyers on you quicker than you can say Donald Trump’(18 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
18. The ‘maybe if I’m nice to him it won’t seem as bad’(19 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
19. The ‘I’m going to pretend I’m totally cool with him touching my freshly-washed hair’(20 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
20. The ‘you dare and I will rip you apart limb by limb’(21 of22)
Open Image Modal
(credit:ITV)
21. The ‘I wish Ben Shephard was on today’(22 of22)