BBC Breakfast viewers were left furious after the ‘car crash’ interview with members of The Darkness.
Justin Hawkins referenced his stint in rehab and made a dig at Oasis(Image: BBC)
BBC Breakfast viewers have branded an interview with members of The Darkness a “car crash”, as they chatted to Jon Kay and Sally Nugent this morning (Tuesday 9 December).
The rock group, which was established in 2000, features the Hawkins siblings Justin and Dan, alongside Frankie Poullain and Rufus Tiger Taylor. Their first album, Permission to Land, hit shelves in 2003, with the band securing three Brit Awards in 2004, before disbanding several years later.
They revealed comeback gigs in 2011, and kept touring through the next decade, taking to the stage at the VE Day 80 celebration in Horseguards Parade in May this year. The siblings featured on BBC Breakfast this morning, promoting their fresh Christmas track, a reworked version of Mistletoe and Wine.
The Darkness appeared on BBC Breakfast(Image: BBC)
Kicking off the segment, before Sally and Jon could pose any questions, Justin became sidetracked by the BBC studio setup, revealing backstage equipment beneath the BBC Breakfast coffee table.
“Nobody at home can see it but we can see what’s coming up, don’t read my messages,” Jon cautioned, reports the Express.
The chat continued with Justin and Dan discussing their latest track, explaining: “Mistletoe and Wine has been a staple between us for years, whenever Dan and I sing to each other during the Yuletide season, it’s always that number.
“Uncharacteristically, Dan takes the higher harmony and I take the lead, and it’s something we always sing.”
Dan revealed that their motivation for the song stemmed from getting a Cliff Richard calendar during his childhood. Justin continued: “Those are really good by the way, because every month, the face is exactly the same, it’s amazing. He’s so well preserved. And I think his music is timeless in the same way that his face is.”
Viewers were less than impressed with the segment(Image: BBC)
During the chat, Jon started to enquire whether the pair had received any feedback from Cliff Richard, but was cut off by Justin, who joked that Jon was about to ask if they’d undergone any “work done”.
The conversation carried on with Sally questioning whether Justin frequently checks his phone, before Justin tried to send a live message to Cliff Richard on air, declaring: “Hey Sir Cliff, this is an amazing song, thanks so much for creating it and giving us so many seasonal memories with it, it’s been a pleasure to reimagine it in The Darkness way and I do hope you enjoy our iteration of your wonderful seasonal megasmash, Mistletoe and Wine.”
During another part of the interview, Justin addressed previous scandals he’s encountered, including completing rehabilitation treatment for alcohol and cocaine use.
He revealed to the BBC Breakfast presenters: “Suddenly, we’re doing similarly sized things to what we were doing 20 years ago, and that’s the result of a lot of hard work.”
He added: “I took five years off because I made some lifestyle choices that were somewhat questionable and perhaps damaging to my health and I needed some me time, and it stalled the momentum of the band, but since I’ve come back to music, we’ve been working really hard.”
Viewers branded the interview a “car crash”(Image: BBC)
When Sally enquired whether Dan also enjoyed “me time”, Dan responded: “I had some children… definitely not me time.”
As Jon steered the discussion back to their upcoming tours, mentioning a performance at Knebworth next year, Justin was cut off by Sally as he attempted to say: “I always like to swap the O and the E.”
“Not this morning,” Sally interjected, before Justin delivered a cheeky swipe at Oasis.
When Jon mentioned speculation that the Oasis brothers might perform at Knebworth, Justin quipped: “To me, that’s exhilarating news, and I can’t wait to not go.”
Towards the conclusion of the segment, Sally observed that Justin was sporting hotel slippers, prompting him to explain: “Comfort is key,” before adding: “Rather than buy a pair of shoes, I just wear the complimentary slippers from the hotel.”
Viewers were far from impressed with their BBC Breakfast appearance, with one person describing it as a “car crash interview” on X.
Sally Nugent hosted BBC Breakfast today with Jon Kay(Image: BBC)
“That interview was like pulling teeth. It was all about Justin,” another said.
“Car crash interview gotta love #TheDarkness,” one viewer wrote.
Another said: “This is an awful interview! Why going on if you don’t want to be there.”
Another commented: “Well this is excruciating,” as someone else wrote: “That’s enough of that.”
“That was soooo bad,” another said, as yet another viewer wrote: “Give me strength…”
Someone else, however, rushed to their defence, writing: “Somehow I’m thinking the humour by @thedarkness is a bit too high minded for @sallynugent and @jonkay01 interview on #bbcbreakfast – it’s hilarious hearing them make jokes and there is 0 reaction by the presenters.”
BBC Breakfast airs from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
