The One Show's 20th anniversary special was thrown into chaos on August 14, 2026, when a government emergency wildfire alert blared on mobile phones live on air, interrupting presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp just minutes into the extended hour-long episode. The alarm, part of a rolling national alert sent to phones across England and Wales from 7pm, forced the duo to decide whether to pause or press on with the broadcast.
As Kemp was revealing that former presenter Christine Lampard would return for the celebrations, the unmistakable sound of an emergency alarm began echoing through the studio. The 33-year-old attempted to continue, but Jones looked around, shook her head, and raised her hands in confusion. "You couldn't make that up could you," she said, adding, "Is that a fire alarm?" Kemp then asked off-camera, "Is there some sort of fire alarm?"
Presenters Decide to Continue Despite Alarm
Rather than abandoning the broadcast, the presenters quickly chose to press ahead, declaring "We continue" before carrying on with the rundown of the evening's festivities as the alarm persisted in the background. Eventually, silence returned, prompting a relieved Kemp to announce, "Ok, it's stopped."
The interruption was not caused by any emergency inside the BBC studio but by a Government emergency alert sent to mobile phones across England and Wales amid the growing threat of wildfires. The alerts began rolling out from 7pm, meaning the special started at exactly the wrong moment for a studio likely filled with phones.
Wildfire Alert Warning and Context
The warning urged the public to avoid lighting anything that could start a blaze, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks. The alert read: "There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire, placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk. Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the public to "take the emergency alert seriously." The alert followed several major blazes, including a wildfire in the West Midlands where 19 homes were destroyed. Communities in Stoke-on-Trent were also left "devastated" after fires gutted houses and forced people to flee, with some losing "everything."
Anniversary Special Continues After Brief Interruption
After airing a pre-recorded segment, Kemp returned to clarify the situation for viewers, explaining, "As you will probably be aware that was actually a wildfire alert on everyone's phones. You would have heard it on the opening of our show, but as always we hope everyone is staying safe, of course."
The interruption came on what was meant to be a celebratory evening for the BBC staple, marking two decades on air with an extended edition and appearances from familiar faces. The One Show first launched in 2006 and has since become a fixture of the BBC's early evening schedule. Despite the unexpected soundtrack, the celebrations were not derailed for long, and after 20 years of live television, an emergency alert during the opening minutes proved a suitably One Show way to begin the anniversary special.
