Significant Changes on BBC Sunday Show as Laura Kuenssberg Absent for Third Consecutive Week

For the third consecutive week, Laura Kuenssberg was absent from her Sunday morning show. Once again, journalist and BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Victoria Derbyshire stepped in as her replacement.

This is the third time the former BBC political editor has been unable to host her show, “Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg,” on Sundays, with her absence on September 24 and October 8. Victoria Derbyshire has also taken over Kuenssberg’s role on the podcast, “Newscast.”

Following her initial absence, The Sun reported that Kuenssberg was away for “personal reasons.” She was also not present at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. However, she made a return to the screen on October 1 to conduct an interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Viewers were alerted to Victoria Derbyshire’s return to the show when she appeared on BBC Breakfast. During her appearance, she provided a preview of what to expect on the day’s show, including discussions with Israel’s former Prime Minister and Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.

During the interview, Ms. Derbyshire pressed Jenrick on the recent by-elections, questioning whether he was in a state of “denial” after he suggested not reading too much into his party’s recent losses in the Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth by-elections.

Viewers of the show were quick to commend Ms. Derbyshire for her interviewing approach, and many called for her to permanently replace Laura, who took over the Sunday morning flagship politics show from Andrew Marr in 2022. One viewer expressed on X (formerly Twitter), “@VictoriaLIVE is becoming the go-to politics show on Sundays in the absence of Laura Kuenssberg. It’s not LK’s fault, she’s just not up to the job. Give Victoria the job full time.”

Another remarked, “Victoria Derbyshire demonstrated a masterclass in how politicians should be held accountable – she reduced Lisa Nandy to a 12-year-old schoolgirl. I can imagine that if she continues to host Kuenssberg’s show for much longer, there will be a whole host of politicians refusing to appear.”

A third individual shared, “I’ve made up my mind – I’ll only watch the Laura Kuenssberg show if Victoria Derbyshire is hosting!” When Victoria stood in for Laura prior to this break, the Scottish presenter took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to extend her apologies.

She stated, “I’m sorry everyone, I can’t host #bbclaurak or #newscast this weekend – but don’t miss @vicderbyshire in the chair at 9 tomorrow on @BBCOne.”

Laura Kuenssberg transitioned to Sunday mornings after resigning in December 2021 as the BBC’s inaugural female political editor, succeeding Nick Robinson. At the time, she expressed her delight at assuming the Sunday role: “I couldn’t be more pleased. For decades, Sunday morning has been the moment to delve into the events that shape us and to challenge and listen to our politicians. It’s an honour to lead that conversation in the 2020s.”

Catch “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg,” featuring Victoria Derbyshire, on BBC iPlayer now.