Naga Munchetty unveiled as new co-presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:15, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 09:29, 28 July 2026 Naga Munchetty is to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years to join Radio 5 Live's flagship morning show. The broadcaster, 51, will front the Breakfast show, taking over from hosts Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards, who announced they will be stepping down in December. Burden will instead move to the mid-morning slot from Monday to Wednesday after 15 years in the breakfast slot, while Edwards will front Fighting Talk on Saturday mornings and contribute to other programmes. Munchetty will take over the breakfast slot from the new year, having already become a familiar voice to the station's listeners after hosting the weekday mid-morning programme since January 2021.  She will front the show alongside a co-host, who is yet to be recruited, from Monday to Friday, broadcasting live from Salford for three days a week and London for the remaining two.  A BBC 5 Live insider told the Daily Mail: 'It's brilliant for Naga - and she's giving Frediani two fingers. 'It's a big promotion for her - and a massive coup for us.' It comes after it was revealed earlier this month that Munchetty had received another pay rise, despite being plagued with accusations of bullying, taking her salary to between £360,000 and £364,999 per year. This took her to number eight on the list of the BBC's highest paid stars - although this applies only to those paid directly by the corporation, excluding stars who are instead salaried through production firms or other third-party companies. Naga Munchetty is to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years to join Radio 5 Live's flagship morning show Munchetty said: 'I'm thrilled to be joining 5 Live Breakfast in January. Live news, great conversations and connecting with audiences are what I love most about broadcasting, and 5 Live does all of that brilliantly. 'It has been a privilege to be part of the BBC Breakfast TV team for the past 17 years, working alongside an incredibly talented and hard-working group of journalists who are not only outstanding colleagues but also great friends. 'Presenting a flagship programme on 5 Live is an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up. It will take a huge amount of work and require 100% of my focus and energy, and I'm really looking forward to throwing myself into the role. 'Over the last five years, I've been privileged to build a relationship with 5 Live listeners on the mid-morning programme and help shine a light on the issues that matter most to them. I'm excited to build on that in the Breakfast slot and to start each day with our listeners every morning. 'Between now and January, I'll continue presenting the two programmes I love. I'm sure there will be plenty of news to cover, and it will very much be business as usual.' Controller Heidi Dawson described Munchetty as 'one of the UK's most accomplished broadcasters and a hugely valued member of the 5 Live family'. Rachel Burden said: 'After 15 years hosting 5 Live Breakfast, I've decided it's time for a change - and I'm really excited about launching my new show on the station. It's been an absolute joy and privilege to be part of our listeners' mornings for all these years. We have been through life-changing events together - from the pandemic to huge political moments, and great sporting journeys. 'They are my extended family, and we'll carry on doing what we do best - telling stories, sharing experiences and working out the world together. Just this time, on a little bit more sleep.' Rick Edwards said: 'The annoying part for me is that five years on a breakfast show is a decent stint, but next to Rachel's 15-year marathon, it does look inconsequential. 'I'll really miss our wonderful audience, I'll miss the fantastic team, I'll miss regularly eating cake before dawn, but most of all I'll miss Rach - a colleague who has become a friend, and also a mentor, because she's so much older than me. 'Two things I am of course looking forward to are not waking up at 3.45am, and vaping without fear of violent recrimination. 'I'm so grateful to 5 Live for all the opportunities they've afforded me - from going to World Cups in far flung locations, to vox pops in covered markets in the Greater Manchester area. Who knows what they have in store for me next? That's not a rhetorical question. Who do I need to speak to?' This is a breaking news story and is being updated.