Alex Jones and Roman Kemp left stunned as The One Show 20th anniversary is interrupted by emergency alert
The duo were left confusedThe One Show‘s 20th anniversary celebrations were unexpectedly interrupted when a Government emergency alert sounded on mobile phones across the studio.
Alex Jones and Roman Kemp were presenting Friday night’s special when the alarm began at 7pm. The warning across England and Wales urged people to avoid activities that could start a wildfire, including using disposable barbecues, fire pits, garden incinerators and fireworks.
As the noise filled the studio, Alex initially appeared to mistake it for an alarm inside the building.
“You couldn’t make that up, could you?” she said during the interruption. “I think that’s the fire alarm…I’m doing my best to keep a straight face. But we continue.”
Roman also looked confused as the phones sounded, but the presenters carried on with the programme. He later explained what viewers had heard and addressed the safety warning.
“As you will probably be aware that was actually a wildfire alert on everyone’s phones,” Roman said. “You would have heard it on the opening of our show, but as always we hope everyone is staying safe, of course.”
Why did the emergency alert interrupt The One Show?
The message was issued because of a very high wildfire risk. It warned that residents, landowners and visitors should not do anything that could ignite a blaze, stressing that even a small flame could quickly become a major fire and endanger people, property, businesses and emergency workers.
It was reported to be the largest use of the emergency alert technology since the system was introduced in 2023.
The warning came as emergency services dealt with serious fires in the West Midlands. A major wildfire in Stourbridge spread across 500 acres, destroying 19 homes and damaging another 18. Six people were injured, including three firefighters, while about 100 firefighters tackled a blaze near Stourbridge golf course.
Andy Burnham said on X that the request for the alert had come directly from Fire and Rescue Services. He urged people to take the message seriously and follow the guidance, saying emergency responders were working in extremely difficult conditions.
The One Show’s anniversary special continued
Despite the unusual disruption, Alex and Roman kept the anniversary edition moving. The programme marked 20 years of The One Show by revisiting notable guests, stories and moments from its two decades on television.
Christine Lampard, Matt Baker and Tom Grennan joined the presenters for the celebration. Once Roman had clarified the source of the alarm and reminded viewers to stay safe, the special continued as planned.
The timing made the interruption particularly striking: an emergency warning about wildfires sounded at the very start of an anniversary broadcast, briefly leaving both presenters trying to work out what was happening while remaining on air.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
