A BBC reporter has broken down on air during a live cross from a memorial to the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks.

 Graham Satchell, an experienced BBC news journalist, was overcome with emotion while standing before a wall of flowers in Paris' Place de la Republique.

As Satchell spoke of the "hope" that had flowed through the city over the past 24 hours, he could no longer keep his composure.

"The feeling here in Paris has certainly changed significantly since we arrived on Saturday when Paris was a ghost town," he said.

'Last night it was incredibly busy. There were vigils here, there were vigils at the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was lit up in red, white and blue, which I think is a sign of hope," he said as his voice cracked.

Struggling to regain his control of his emotions, Satchell apologised to the camera.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry."

Sensing his distress, BBC anchor Sally Nugent attempted to draw the broadcast back from Satchell.

The father-of-three said, "I will leave it there. There is certainly hope here in Paris," before walking off-screen struggling with the emotion of the scene before him.

The managing director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma in the Asia Pacific Region, Cait McMahon, said that the emotional impact on journalists in these situations was down to a number of factors.

"The horror of the story has an impact, but that compounded with the workload that people are doing in these jobs really just erodes people's resilience in the moment," she said.

"Also the actual fear, I was speaking with a woman in Paris and just the notion of getting the tube [Paris Metro] at the moment is a really scary thing. It's a cocktail of the normal fear of being in the city combined with the horror of what they are reporting on."

McMahon said that Satchell's reaction was a natural human response.

"The fact that he got support is really important. [Sometimes] journos feel a sense of shame that they are not being objective; that they have breached their own reporting code if you like, but those sorts of things catch us unawares."

Viewers were quick to comfort Satchell. 

Very moved by @GrahamSatchell s report from Paris just now. Stark reminder that Journalists pay a personal price to tell story @BBCBreakfast— Nuala (@nualajane) November 17, 2015

No shame in Graham Satchell breaking down as he reports from Paris. If you don't care about what you're reporting youve no business doing it— Patrick Strudwick (@PatrickStrud) November 17, 2015

@GrahamSatchell not normally moved by a reporter's delivery & emotion shown, but today, we all felt your sorrow. Thank you. #ParisAttacks— Jamie McDonnell (@TheBoyJames) November 17, 2015

Fairfax Media