It wasn’t a glitch. It wasn’t a prank. It was approved — and it aired. When a graphic image popped up mid-segment, the reaction was instant: one host recoiled, viewers gasped, and the question lingered — how did this make it past the filter?

An unexpected image that flashed up on BBC Breakfast this morning (September 21) left the show’s co-host Luxmy Gopal feeling squeamish.

The presenter was helming the flagship morning show alongside Roger Johnson, who had just been involved in a segment that followed his experience giving blood for the first time in years.

“I hadn’t donated since before the pandemic,” Roger shared, as he admitted that it was his 21st blood donation that had been captured on film. “It’s great and you feel like you’ve potentially done some good with minimal effort.”

There was plenty of blood on show throughout the segment, concluding with a photo of Roger holding up a bag full of his blood, surrounded by the medical staff who had assisted him throughout the process.

Appearing taken aback by the image, Luxmy took part in a bit of back and forth with her co-host as he reflected on the process, before asking him: “Do you feel squeamish though?” before referencing the blood bag photo.

“When you held up your blood like that… I mean,” before grimacing. “That not… no?”

“No, it’s just part and parcel but it is something that’s very simple that we can all – or pretty much everone, but most people – can do that can save a life,” Roger replied nonchalantly.

Ahead of the segment, Luxmy shared the statistic that over 5,000 donations were needed every day to keep up with demand, prompting the NHS to call for more people willing to donate.

Despite the blood on show, the segment served as a myth-busting exercise for those willing to consider going through the process themselves.

Roger followed his donation as it travelled through the system, from the initial screening process at Manchester’s Blood Donation Centre through to being bagged up and processed ready to go to those in need.

“The whole [donation] process usually takes me little more than half an hour,” Roger shared in his voiceover, adding that for him it “didn’t hurt” at all.