The furor was sparked when the presenter – who is taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing – made the tounge-in-cheek suggestion that Turner should join next year’s lineup on the show because ‘he would look good on the dance floor.’
Her one-liner came at the end of a five minute conversation about the band’s new album, during which the pair bonded over their mutual appreciation for poet John Cooper Clark.
Clearly disheartened that he didn’t come up with the pun himself, the 27 year-old singer remarked: ‘Of course... I should have been the one that said you look good on the dance floor.’
To which Reid responded: ‘Except that I’m not sure that would be accurate. I look a bit of a mess on the dance floor’, before her interviewee sighed and said: ‘I doubt that,’ and wished her ‘good luck on the floor.’
While some would put Reid’s reference to the Arctic Monkeys’ 2005 hit down to an innocent play on words, others have expressed their astonishment at the 42 year-old’s ‘flirtatious’ behaviour.
Julian West wrote on Twitter: ‘The BBC Breakfast interview with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner is the flirtiest thing I’ve ever seen.’
Another viewer, Matthew Thomson, said: ‘So much sexual tension in that Alex Turner interview.’
One UK newspaper reported that the presenter had ‘turned up the heat on her breakfast show by flirting with a rock star 15 years her junior.’
The article pointed out that Reid had been ‘playing with her hair’ during her conversation with Turner – who is known for coming across as standoffish during interviews.
Even the presenter’s co-host Bill Turnbull tried to embarrass her, teasing: ‘Oh, you get such a rapport with him, don’t you?’
'People never said to you "go on, ask him about Strictly".'
But Reid laughed off her colleague’s comments and replied: 'Don't deny it now, "ask him about Strictly" you said.'
Although Turnbull described the interview as ‘an exhilarating encounter,’ a show source said it was just Reid’s usual style, adding: ‘to say she flirted is a little over the top.’
She has been a BBC journalist for almost 20 years and a presenter on Breakfast since 2003.
Susanna lives with her partner, charity director Dominic Cotton in South London, and they have three young children, Finn, Sam and Jack.