Evans like old mate, says news veteran

Evans takes over the mantle from breakfast king Sir Terry Wogan, who left the show last month.

Stuart is making a comeback by joining the show’s line-up and has been working on practice programmes before today’s launch.

The well-respected newsreader said of Evans: “I am absolutely in awe. I knew Chris was good but the man is a maestro.

“He has been tremendous – he’s razor-sharp, he’s warm, he’s witty, he’s a natural.”

She said she felt like she was “like old mates” with Evans, whom she had only met once before in a BBC corridor.

Stuart said that like Sir Terry, Evans was a natural who possessed the “swan syndrome” with the ability to glide gracefully on the surface while the work was going on unseen.

Stuart, a familiar voice for decades, was dropped from TV in 2007, prompting accusations of ageism.

The news veteran, now 60, anchored the news on Andrew Marr’s Sunday morning show and had previously been a key presenter on the BBC’s main TV bulletins.

She said she initially found the idea of appearing on Evans’s new show “gobsmacking” but the challenge of leaving her comfort zone was “irresistible”.

Stuart also said she would like to thank the public and the media for the “warmth” they have shown to her.