GMB: Charlotte and Rob report on riots in Leeds
Good Morning Britain descended into pandemonium as presenters Charlotte Hawkins and Rob Rinder were compelled to interrupt the programme for "breaking news".
On Friday (July 19), the duo was eager to report on the violent disturbances that erupted in Harehills, Leeds, the previous evening. With a bold "breaking news" banner emblazoned across the screen, Charlotte and Rob discussed the riots, which involved a bus being torched and a police vehicle flipped over.
West Yorkshire Police issued a stern statement: "We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible."
Yet, the live broadcast turned rather tumultuous, and when ITV cut to the scene in Harehills, there appeared to be technical difficulties and reporter Polly Bartlett struggled to recall her script. This prompted a flurry of comments from viewers on social media, with one viewer posting: "I hate the cringe of someone dying on live TV. Come on Polly you can do it."
Another expressed concern: "Is Polly all right?" A third sympathised: "Poor Polly is having a bad day. I reckon Katy Rickitt will be back next time," reports the Mirror.
Nonetheless, some viewers showed their solidarity with Polly particularly given the challenging circumstances of her report. One X user praised: "Huge kudos to @polly_bartlett, doing a sterling job reporting through disruptive horn honkers and tech issues this morning."
Another concurred: "Those people honking are just so rude."
Polly detailed the aftermath on air, saying: "It is a lot calmer here this morning but you really don't have to look far to see the damage these riots caused.
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"There is debris all over the floor and a number of burnt-out vehicles including this double decker bus and a police car."
She continued: "The rioting went on for hours last night and police were forced to tell local residents to stay at home so when the situation was finally brought under control members of the local community came to try and put out the fires and clear up some of the mess."
Despite interruptions from noisy vans and cars honking their horns in an attempt to disrupt the broadcast, Polly remained unflappable and carried on reporting amidst the disruption.
