BBC Breakfast’s new host Dan Walker: ‘I set four alarms to wake up in time’

The Football Focus presenter is replacing long-time host Bill Turner
Rashid Razaq29 February 2016

New BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker took no chances on his first day, setting four alarms to make sure he got out of bed.

The first, at 3.25am, was entitled the “claxon of disaster”, followed by the “foghorn of destiny” at 3.26am, the “final snoozer” a minute later, and a final “get up you massive horse” at 3.29am.

He also had a 7am alarm called “aaaaaarrgghhh” which wasn’t set to go off and thankfully wasn’t needed.

Walker, who later tweeted that “alarm number 3 worked a treat,” replaces long-standing presenter Bill Turnbull, who retired last week.

The new host later also joked that Turnbull had “sabotaged” him by texting him at 11pm to wish him well.

Wearing a lilac shirt and purple tie, he made his debut alongside Louise Minchin by introducing a report on rising vacancies in the NHS.

Minchin and weather presenter Carol Kirkwood were wearing similar dresses, and after the headlines the pair teased their new colleague for having “missed the email” about the matching outfits.

Walker, 38, who previously hosted Afternoon Edition on BBC Radio 5 Live and Football Focus on BBC One, will front the show from 6am on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays. He began his career in local radio, then worked for Granada TV and BBC North West Tonight, before moving to BBC Sport.

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The devout Christian, who does not work on Sundays, has said that his faith will not “affect the way I do my job”.

Talking on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show after his appointment was announced, he said: “I want to live in a world where Gary Lineker can present Match of the Day even though he’s a Leicester City fan and John Humphrys can do Radio 4 even though he’s an atheist … that’s the world I want to live in. Not where I’m persecuted for being a Christian.

Follow Rashid Razaq on Twitter: @RashidRazaqES

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