Viewers of BBC Breakfast were stunned to discover that Ben Thompson would serve as the show's new host alongside Sally Nugent following Jon Kay's sick leave.
As news watchers tuned in to BBC Breakfast on August 8, they were left perplexed to see regular host Sally Nugent partner up with Ben Thompson to front the favorite morning program. Prior to Thompson's appearance, Sally Nugent's new co-host Jon Kay was unable to make his BBC Breakfast debut as he went down with Covid. The 56-year-old TV star only landed his BBC role last month as the permanent replacement for former host Dan Walker, who hosted the show from 2016 until May this year.
While Jon Kay's return is yet to be determined, fans of BBC Breakfast have been just equally happy to welcome his temporary replacement - Ben Thompson. Thompson will step into the hosting seat alongside Sally Nugent from Monday to Wednesday before leaving the fronting slots to Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt over the remaining days.
As a lot of viewers still wonder who's the new guy sitting on the iconic red sofa, let's take a look at Ben Thompson's career highlights and life behind the cameras.
Who is Ben Thompson?
Born on August 12, 1981, in Burnley, England, Ben Thompson studied International Business and French at Brest Business School from 2001 to 2002 before securing a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism in 2004. During his time at Brest, Thompson helped produce BBC’s morning news program, Good Morning Wales, before being chosen for a BBC Trainee Scheme, in which he was rotated to different departments in the broadcaster to gain more experience. After completing his education, the 40-year-old host moved to London where he worked for the Business & Economics Unit of BBC News, producing the likes of BBC News 24 and BBC World.
Thompson's career took a turning point in 2008 when he became the BBC’s Middle East Business Correspondent and spent three years traveling across Middle East countries to send home interesting stories. He returned to the UK in 2011 and shot to fame as a business presenter in the context of the global recession that was haunting the world's economy. Following his rise to stardom, Thompson took on fronting BBC Breakfast and Business Live, the BBC's daily business program.
In 2021, however, Thompson called time on his BBC Breakfast role after a decade and would only appear in weekend editions. Instead, he returned to doing BBC World as it could satisfy his love for traveling and discovery. His temporary stint to replace Jon Kay, therefore, is actually not the first time Thompson has featured in BBC Breakfast as many people may think.
Ben Thompson's family and boyfriend
Despite being a major TV personality, Ben Thompson is open about being a member of the LGBTQ+ community and regularly posts sweet snaps of him and his boyfriend Andy Roche on his Instagram account, which has 20.5k followers. The couple began dating in 2011 and has traveled to many exotic places on Earth together. Roche also accompanied Thompson when he was doing his BBC stint in the Middle East before returning to the UK together.
Thompson's family remains a mystery, although the Dailystar reports that the BBC star has a sister named Melissa.
