BBC Breakfast viewers livid as they call out hosts for laughing at 'horror' story

BBC Breakfast presenters Rachel Burden and Ben Boulos were discussing a news story on the show, but their reaction didn't go down well with viewers at home

BBC Breakfast hosts have caught flak for chuckling over a news item that left viewers stone-faced.

The programme resumed on Sunday (June 15) with Rachel Burden and Ben Boulos helming the broadcast, ready to delve into the day's most pressing headlines from around the world.

In one segment, they touched on a trending clip showing a museum-visiting couple inadvertently damaging an artwork.

Describing the incident, Rachel mentioned, "This is footage of a couple who decided to try out a chair, this was a Van Gough style chair covered in crystals inside a museum in Verona," as the CCTV video played.

The footage showed someone taking a seat on said chair, which immediately gave way, reports the Express.

"The man decides he'll try it out and immediately it collapses," observed Rachel, while Ben's snickers were audible off-camera.

After their hasty departure from the museum, Rachel continued: "It's [the chair] left there, looking I think, not necessarily the worst."

To which Ben contributed: "It now tells a story. Art evolves doesn't it?".

Rachel then shed light on the aftermath: "The couple apparently fled the museum before staff knew what had happened."

Ben quipped mirthfully about the couple's shock at the event: "Imagine that moment of horror of when it happened; 'oh dear, we're in trouble!'".

Nonetheless, the tone taken by Ben and Rachel while handling the tale didn't resonate well with certain viewers.

One viewer expressed their disappointment on social media saying, "I hope they catch the couple from the museum. Also, I don't understand why #BBCBreakfast are treating it as a laugh and a joke," while another commented, "I don't think it's funny at all but it's tickled Ben."

Another person pointed out the gravity of the mishap: "Seems to have totally skipped over the fact the guy destroyed a piece of art...he had no right to try it out!".

The unfortunate incident in question unfolded at the Palazzo Maffei in Verona, where the museum director Vanessa Carlon had previously weighed in, expressing her dismay over the recklessness for photos: "Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don't think about the consequences.

"Of course, it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us - that isn't an accident. This is a nightmare for any museum."

Catch BBC Breakfast every morning from 6am on BBC One.