Wave power

The future of microwaves in the BBC purchasing catalogue looks even shorter this morning, after an attempt to warm up a cup of tea set off a fire alarm and pulled The One Show off the air.  The devices have already been stripped out of the re-developed Broadcasting House, where a forgotten "baked" potato took Radio 4 off the air last year.  There is a continuing tussle over a microwave across the road at BBC London, where night staff keep sneaking the machine back in, against the wishes of The Engineers.

A year or two ago, occupants of Henry Wood House were exposed to the special smell of a chicken stew warmed up on high for 30 minutes rather than 3, before the inevitable alarms gave them time to clear their passages with fresh air on the steps of All Souls.

The home of The One Show was originally called The Energy Centre - designed for a combined heat and power control room than never got built.   It may be that it still has the original alarms - it's hard to imagine steam from boiling tea tripping standard alarms - unless, of course, the heating time was out by a factor of 10.    Is the answer a total ban  - or a compulsory training course ?