Peter Levy

A local news bulletin was pulled off air on Wednesday morning after a fire alarm wreaked havoc in the BBC News studio. Viewers in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were left scratching their heads after regular presenter Peter Levy was missing from BBC Look North in the morning. As they waited for the broadcaster, 68, to read out the regional headlines, he was unexpectedly absent, with national host Anna Foster stepping in instead.

In a social media post, Abbie Dewhurst, who joined BBC Yorkshire as a staff weather presenter in May 2016, highlighted the huge pay gap between her and a male colleague when she started. In a post on social media site TikTok to mark International Women's Day on March 8, Abbie took aim at her employer's gender pay gap and male-dominated managers. A BBC spokesperson said: 'Abbie has a great relationship with the BBC and we take equal pay very seriously as our progress in this area demonstrates. The BBC's gender pay gap is less than 5%.'

Abbie, who joined BBC Yorkshire as a staff weather presenter in May 2016, announced the news in an emotional post on social media. She told her over 33,000 Instagram followers she was leaving her 'dream job' in a couple of weeks after eight 'glorious years waking up before the sun' before thanking viewers for 'welcoming me' into their lives. The 30-year-old said working at the corporation had 'been a privilege that's not lost on me' and during her time had 'met some wonderful people, a handful of which will become life-long friends'. She shared a number of photos reminiscing about some highlights during her role, which included a tandem bike ride with Peter Levy for Children in Need in 2017,  reporting from Wimbledon and hosting a show on national radio.