BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker has hit back at Susanna Reid, after the Good Morning
Britain presenter referenced him in a new column about “cattiness” among men in the TV industry.
On Thursday, Susanna published a column for the Daily Mail titled “It’s not women who are catty colleagues on TV – it’s men”, in which she addressed storylines in the new
Apple TV+ series The Morning Show. In the column, she wrote: “In my experience, there is more rivalry between male counterparts.
“Take ITV’s Piers Morgan and Dan Walker, his
BBC Breakfast double. The way they snipe at each other on
Twitter makes me shudder. I would never speak about a colleague like that.”
Clearly unimpressed with being name-checked in the column, Dan swiftly replied on Twitter, pointing out with his ongoing beef with Piers Morgan was usually fairly one-sided.“Interesting,” Dan wrote. “With the greatest respect… the insults that make you ‘shudder’ only really come one way. I enjoy the friendly competition with your programme. It keeps us all on our toes and normally stays within the bounds of gentle fun.
“I understand that columns for this newspaper need to be provocative but I humbly suggest you talk to @louiseminchin @BBCNaga @stephbreakfast @carolkirkwood @mikebreakfast @sallynugent - or anyone I work with - before suggesting I ever put colleagues down or am not supportive.”
Susanna soon replied: “I didn’t for a moment suggest this. My reference to you was solely in relation to how you and Piers speak to each other online.”
She also retweeted a comment from one fan who suggested that if Dan and Piers were two women, their Twitter exchanges would be viewed as “bitchy” rather than “banter”.Interesting. With the greatest respect @susannareid100 the insults that make you ‘shudder’ only really come one way. I enjoy the friendly competition with your programme. It keeps us all on our toes and normally stays within the bounds of gentle fun. See you soon 👏🏻 https://t.co/c2FpnPOAl7— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) November 7, 2019I understand that columns for this newspaper need to be provocative but I humbly suggest you talk to @louiseminchin@BBCNaga@stephbreakfast@carolkirkwood@mikebreakfast@sallynugent - or anyone I work with - before suggesting I ever put colleagues down or am not supportive 👍🏻 https://t.co/c2FpnPOAl7— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) November 7, 2019I didn’t for a moment suggest this. My reference to you was solely in relation to how you and Piers speak to each other online. https://t.co/q0FLIWkaHU— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) November 7, 2019She didn't say you were she said you & Piers go at it on here & it's "banter" but if 2 females in same situation did the same thing it would be portrayed as being "bitchy" 🙈— Kath Wilson (@katsitter) November 7, 2019A little later, Dan shared an additional tweet, claiming he “misread Susanna’s intentions” with his first posts.I greatly respect @susannareid100 & it appears I may have misread her intentions in this article & for that I apologise - as I have done privately too. Support of colleagues is a particularly sensitive issues at the moment and 1 I take seriously.I hope you all have a lovely day. https://t.co/AxKzyNIhHA— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) November 7, 2019Dan and Piers have gone toe-to-toe on social media on more than one occasion, usually to do with the ratings battle between their shows, BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain.
More recently, Piers branded his rival a “snivelling sycophant” as they clashed over the media’s treatment of
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.READ MORE... Piers Morgan Made A Blunder In His Latest Row With Dan Walker, But No One Noticed 'BBC Breakfast' Host Dan Walker Accidentally Drops C-Bomb In 'Culture' Blunder Susanna Reid Blasts Claims She's 'Complicit' In Piers Morgan's Controversial Views Being Aired