BBC Radio 2’s Vernon Kay had a cheeky moment on his Good Friday Show when traffic correspondent Bobbie Pryor updated listeners on the Bank Holiday Weekend travel situation. As Bobbie warned drivers to keep their distance on the roads, Vernon quipped: “You don’t get too close to your partner that often”, which sent Bobbie into fits of laughter.
“Don’t bring it up at work,” she playfully scolded. Vernon quickly clarified that he wasn’t alluding to his own marriage with Tess Daly, insisting: “I don’t mean myself, I mean in general, Bobbie!”.
He continued with a bit of road safety advice, remarking: “You watch people driving and they’re bumper-to-bumper – behave yourselves!” Bobbie joined in the banter, adding: “Don’t get in my boot,” prompting further giggles between them.
Vernon often gives fans a glimpse into his family life with wife Tess and their daughters Phoebe and Amber. On a recent broadcast, he shared how Tess gets worried whenever he ventures into his garden shed.
The beloved TV presenter recounted how Tess stands at the front door, looking concerned whenever he reaches for a power tool.
He shared with his audience: “It’s so funny. Whenever I go in the shed, I pull out a power tool. Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly’s always stood at the front door. ‘Now, just please be careful’. She knows what I’m like.”
Vernon, despite being a seasoned broadcaster, who got his start after a boozy bet with a friend led to an appearance on BBC1’s The Clothes Show in 2000, is known to be a bit clumsy with hands-on tasks.
Even on-screen, things don’t always go smoothly. Just this year, a live episode of The One Show turned into mayhem when Vernon’s co-host Alex Jones lost an earring.
Shortly after, the hosts had to say sorry when guest Toni Collette used some colourful language, dropping “s**t” during their live chat.
The situation escalated when the award-winning Aussie actress repeated the expletive, causing fellow guests Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, and actress Naomi Ackie to try hard not to burst out laughing.
Reflecting on the bedlam, Vernon, 50, recounted on his BBC Radio 2 show that the studio was in “absolute carnage”. He shared with his audience: “Last night’s The One Show was definitely not that perfect. It’s so funny, Ant and Dec are still just two mischievous young gentlemen.”
He recalled the moment, saying: “From the moment we went on air, Alex’s earring fell out and I’m messing around looking for the earring back.”
He also expressed his amazement at how Watchdog host Matt Allwright kept his cool amidst the chaos: “It’s all serious, there’s absolute carnage going on around him, I don’t know how he kept a straight face.”
Vernon continued to say that these unexpected moments are “what broadcasting is all about” and heaped praise on Alex for her handling of the situation.
“Alex Jones is one of the best, she is without a doubt one of the best,” he added.
“She embodies cool, calm and collected, I mean I don’t know how we get on air, we’re both so laid-back. “We’re like, ‘Yeah it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine, it’s live telly, people understand’.”