The sports presenter Mike Bushell made a splash as he fell in a swimming pool during a live interview on BBC Breakfast.

Bushell was preparing to chat to the England Commonwealth Games swimmers Sarah Vasey, Adam Peaty, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, Ben Proud and James Guy, who were sitting on the edge of a small pool on Australia’s Gold Coast.

As he got into the shallow water for the interview, he said: “I’m going to be careful because I’ve got a sound pack on.” But having failed to notice there was another step beneath his feet, Bushell then fell into the deeper water.

The athletes burst out laughing as Bushell righted himself, and they struggled to maintain their composure as he tried to continue the interview.

“All the people here are literally on the floor,” he told viewers, referring to the off-camera crew.

The interview was cut short as his microphone and sound pack appeared to have suffered water damage during his fall.

In the BBC Breakfast studio, the presenters Charlie Stayt and Louise Minchin shared their amusement with viewers. Stayt said: “Mike is carrying on talking but we can’t hear him, because a moment ago Mike fell in the water, his pack went in, and he doesn’t know we can’t hear him now.

“Bye, Mike, it hasn’t been dull.”

Minchin said: “If you were going to set that up, you would imagine that might happen, and it did – live on national television. Mike fell in the pool.”

They later returned to Bushell, who said: “I just thought it was a little Jacuzzi or a kids’ pool.

“I didn’t realise there was a step there.”