In a surprising move Dan Walker, known for presenting Football Focus and BBC Breakfast, has left the BBC and moved to Channel 5. And after his first appearance on the Channel 5 news show on Monday, June 6 the channel experienced a huge boost in viewer numbers.
In April 2022 the presenter announced he would be leaving BBC Breakfast after six years on the show and moving to Channel 5. The news that Dan was leaving BBC Breakfast came less than a year after his former presenting partner Louise Minchin also left the show.
On Monday, Dan presented his first ever show on Channel 5, the five o clock news live from Downing Street. His appearance on the show brought in new audiences.
READ MORE: The One Show's Alex Jones puts Jermaine Jenas in his place over World Cup group dig
The viewing figures were up by over 70% and Dan tweeted out the good news, also making a joke about Boris Johnson facing a vote of no confidence. He said: "Lots of talk about figures last night... we are quite happy with ours. The @5_News audience was up over 70%. Thanks so much for watching."
Fans replied to the Tweet congratulating Dan on his success. One said: "I watched it for the first time last night, great job" followed by a clapping hands emoji. Another said: "Well done on your first programme, here's to many, many more!" Viewers were also impressed with Dan's performance during the show.
Dan replaced Sian Williams on Channel 5 and said it was a "massive decision" to leave BBC Breakfast. He said: "I'm really excited but this has also been a massive decision for me because I love BBC Breakfast. I love working alongside Sally and I love the team there."
He added: "Channel 5 came with big ambitions, with big plans, and I don't think opportunities like this come around very often and I can't wait...what I love about this deal is I not only get to present the news but also host a whole range of programmes right across the channel."
