10 Times News Presenters Went Rogue

10 Times News Presenters Went Rogue

Welcome to WatchMojoUK, where we’ll be discussing iconic moments when news presenters decided to do their own thing.

#10: Victoria Derbyshire Writes Support Number on Hand

Since the 90s, Derbyshire has been a staple of BBC news. In 2015, she started hosting her own current affairs program, simply titled “Victoria Derbyshire”. In 2020, the COVID pandemic was at its peak, and the majority of the country was locked inside. This tragically caused an increase in domestic violence, which prompted Derbyshire to heroically write the number for a support line on her hand. She’d written it on her hand, taken a photo, and tweeted it in the early morning. She decided not to wash it off before appearing on TV, in an attempt to help viewers who need help.

#9: Maitlis’ Cummings Monologue

Few journalists are as celebrated as Maitlis, most famous for her interview with Prince Andrew, which caused him to step down from royal duties. It was for an episode of “Newsnight”, a program she is no longer involved in. In May 202, she began an episode by criticising Tory politician Dominic Cummings for breaking lockdown restrictions. The BBC has a strict policy about remaining impartial in politics, so even if all viewers agreed with her, it was still a violation of BBC rules. This outraged tons of people, who thought Maitlis deserved to be rewarded for her brave criticism.

#8: John Sweeney Leaves the BBC

For 17 years, Sweeney was a journalist for the BBC. He was best known as a regular host of “Panorama” and “Newsnight”. In his career, he covered a plethora of huge stories, like Putin’s invasions, the ethics of Scientology, and North Korean living conditions. Eventually, he left the BBC in 2019 after he was recorded making offensive comments towards one of Tommy Robinson’s friends. In his last appearance, he made a savage comment about Robinson. Sweeney was frequently critical of the BBC’s neutrality, stating that he believed they were too timid to release multiple news stories.

#7: Peacock Impression

Since 2003, Maryam Moshiri has worked for the BBC. One of her greatest blunders was showing her middle finger live on air in 2023. Two years later, she did something even more hilarious. In 2025, she was doing a story about a peacock terrorising an English village. This motivated her to do a hilarious impression of a peacock, despite her producer asking her not to. She often gets up to antics like this, impersonating seagulls in the past, making her a bit of an online celebrity. We have to commend the BBC for keeping her on air, as it’s great to allow a presenter to show their sense of humor.

#6: Ignoring the Teleprompter

Martine Croxall is currently one of the primary presenters of BBC News. In 2025, she ended up becoming J. K. Rowling’s “favorite presenter”. This was because she was meant to read “pregnant people” from the autocue, but instead said “pregnant women”. Croxall’s expression appeared slightly irritated at the gender neutral language. Given the BBC’s insistence on neutrality, it’s surprising that she wasn’t told off for this. Especially when you compare it to how Maitlis was treated for criticising a politician who broke his own rules. Many complained about the incident, but the BBC responded, saying they felt it was in line with their guidelines.

#5: Jordan Peterson & Cathy Newman

Since 2006, Cathy Newman has worked for Channel 4 News. She’s been a presenter since 2011, which eventually got her in contact with Jordan Peterson in 2018. For those unaware, he’s a highly controversial Canadian psychologist and author. They discussed topics like the gender pay gap, with Newman frequently going off script. She describes herself as a women’s rights advocate, so things got increasingly heated when she brought up her views on these topics. The clash ended up going viral, which has caused Newman to be a primary target for Peterson’s fans. This includes brutal threats, causing Channel 4 to seek “security advice”.

#4: Andrew Neil Leaving The Mainstream

Neil was a staple of BBC News for 25 years, going viral globally in 2019 when he interviewed Ben Shapiro, who got so mad he stormed out. In 2020, he opted to retire from mainstream news entirely. Neil stated he wanted to reduce his commitments, so he began a career at GB News instead. This didn’t last long; after making eight episodes of a series, he went on indefinite hiatus. He left GB News entirely by the end of 2021, saying his decision was a huge mistake. Now, he’s as rogue as he’s ever been, hosting a lunchtime radio show, which means he’s less prominent than ever before. It must be relaxing after such a lengthy career, though.

#3: Paxman’s Michael Howard Interview

One of the most recognizable journalists in the UK is Jeremy Paxman. He joined the BBC in 1972, joined Newsnight in 1989, and then earned a reputation for his no-nonsense interview style. Neil’s most famous interview was with Michael Howard in 1997. At the time, he had just lost his position as the Home Secretary. Paxman famously asked him the same question 12 times in a row. Turned out, he was simply trying to extend the interview as the following segment wasn’t ready yet. Still, it’s gone down in history as one of the most aggressive interviews in history.

#2: Jon Snow & White People

Between 1989 and 2021, Jon Snow was a constant face on Channel 4 News. Not to be confused with the character from George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series, of course. One of his most controversial moments was when he visited a pro-Brexit rally in 2019. There, he commented about the unusually high proportion of white people at the event. It was broadcast live on TV, which resulted in Ofcom getting over 2,000 complaints. A Channel 4 spokesperson released a statement to cool things over. She said Snow was simply observing a lack of diversity among the protestors, but could’ve done it more professionally.

#1: Trying to Shut Down Tony Benn

Ideally, the BBC shouldn’t ever censor a humanitarian crisis. Well, in 2009, one reporter sought to do just that when Tony Benn was discussing the Gaza situation. For those unaware, Benn is one of Labour’s most praised figures, who was prominent until dying in 2014. Benn simply wanted to calmly urge viewers to support the Gaza Appeal. The reporter bizarrely insists on trying to shut him down, as if humanitarianism had become a taboo for the BBC. Rather than remaining a neutral presenter, the host becomes an institutional enforcer, shutting down a guest's attempt to aid a war zone. Here, we see a journalist abandoning integrity not by speaking out, but by trying to censor a guest acting purely on conscience.

Were there any especially wild moments we forgot to mention? Let us know in the comments!