BBC Radio 2 listeners were left concerned after the channel went off air for the first time in two decades during a fire scare.
The studio in central London was evacuated quickly after alarms were sounded on Thursday (6 March), with the station’s back up tapes kicking in as airwaves fell silent, The Sun reported.
Employees at Broadcasting House, situated off of the capital’s busy Oxford Street, were sent outside while the cause of the alarm was investigated.
Following the 15 minute long broadcasting interruption, Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine returned to the airwaves and told listeners: “I do apologise, we did just have a proper fire alarm here.
“There wasn’t a fire but we had the thing that I’ve not had in 20 years where not just one light goes off but two,” he added.
“The orange light which means there could be a fire and then the red light and then the announcement in the studio which looked as if there was one.
“We came out [of] the building. We stood outside in the sun. There’s no fire, so we came back in. Because there’s no fire we are going to cancel the item we were doing on cremation,” Vine revealed.
He added: “But we will talk later to Julie Donaldson about World Book Day, and yes I will get the Gruffalo costume back on.”
Meanwhile, Lauren Laverne said on her Radio 6 Music show: “Thank you all for the messages, everything is alright in the studio. We had some technical issues there but we are back with you.”
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Radio 2 listeners were quick to express concern on social media after Vine’s radio show went off air. “Wow.. Actual dead air live on BBC Radio 2,” one person wrote on X/Twitter.
“Fire alarm goes off at the studios during Jeremy Vine slot and the building’s been evacuated by the guess of it,” they continued.
“Never heard a radio station go silent like that before and now it seems like it’s on auto-pilot,” they added.
Meanwhile, another listener replied: “Sounds very strange,” as the emergency tape kicked in.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
