Appearing via video link on Saturday’s BBC Breakfast, Steve Backshall surprised one of his biggest fans, young conservationist Aneeshwar Kunchala, who appeared alongside his dad. Although, when hosts Jon Kay and Rachel Burden were trying to conduct the interview, things took an unexpected turn. As broadcaster Steve spoke with Aneeshwar about his favourite animals, his toddler son got a bit jealous and tried to get his attention. In a bid, to get involved Steve’s son climbed up onto his lap and gatecrashed the interview.
Just as presenter Jon Kay was asking Steve what he thought about Aneeshwar’s passion, Steve’s young son came into shot.
“I think one of the most exciting things, right now – this period in history – is that we’ve got this new wave of young activists and I’ve got one at my feet right now, actually,” Steve explained as he pulled his son on to his lap.
Jon and Rachel laughed as they saw the funny side of the mishap, although, poor Steve stepped in to apologise.
“I’m sorry about that,” he continued. “That wasn’t planned.”
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Continuing with the interview, Steve added: “I think YouTube and social media has such a powerful part to play in this new wave of activism.
“He is right at the perfect time, the perfect place and it’s standing up to say, ‘I want to make a difference, I want to make the planet a better place’. It does my heart proud.”
Steve went on to apologise again as his son continued to make noises over the interview.
Jon bowed his head as he tried not to laugh, while Rachel tried to continue with their questions.
She asked: “Aneeshwar, I wonder if there is anything or anywhere that you want Steve Backshall to explore, where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?”
Aneeshwar asked his hero about the insect Tardigrades, and just as Steve went to answer, his son gatecrashed the interview again.
“I’m covered in children,” Steve laughed. “I’m sorry.”
“Aneeshwar, you probably can’t see what’s happening at the moment,” Jon weighed in.
“But, Steve’s own child is getting jealous of all the attention that he’s showing to you I think.
“It’s basically Steve Backshall, childcare on BBC One right now.”
Taking to Twitter after the segment, viewers luckily saw the funny side of the interview, with many commenting on how adorable Anesshwar is.
One tweeted: “Full credit to Steve, one child on top of him while advising another on Zoom on live TV.”
Another joked: “@SteveBackshall what a fantastic interview on BBC Breakfast inspiring children to be environmentalists while wrangling your own.”
While one added: “Best feature I’ve seen in a long time on BBC Breakfast. When conservative turns into Steve Backshall daycare.”
“Steve Backshaw getting photobombed by his own kid,” another tweeted.
Another quizzed: “Is this interview really going on?”
BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One.
