Krishnan Guru-Murthy left the Channel 4 News set live on air at the end of Wednesday's evening bulletin, removing his microphone and earpiece before disappearing off-screen. He told viewers, 'That's it for this evening. We're back at 7 tomorrow night,' then added, 'Until then, gotta go – bye.'
He later explained that he was making a mad dash because he did not want to miss England playing Argentina in the World Cup semi-final. In a reply on X, he wrote, 'It was 5 minutes to kick off...!'
Channel 4 News on Wednesday
The clip spread on Friday after a viewer posted it with the caption, 'When you've gotta go, you've gotta go.' Another viewer replied, 'To be fair, he was rushing off for the football...!' The footage showed him gesturing to the camera, yanking off his microphone and earpiece, and leaving as the closing theme began.
That abrupt exit stood out because it broke from the usual end-of-bulletin routine in full view of the audience. The reaction online focused on the speed of the exit and on his on-air line that he had to go before the football started.
England and Argentina
England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday night. The result sent England into the third-place play-off, where they will face France.
France were beaten by Spain in their last-four clash, and the third-place play-off is scheduled for Saturday, 18th July, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, with kick-off set for 5pm local time.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and X
Whether Krishnan Guru-Murthy had any prior arrangement to leave the studio early is not explained. What the record does show is simpler: he chose the football over the final seconds of the broadcast, and he said so before he went.
