Peter Levy, presenter of BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire almost found himself in a spot of bother last week, with his autocue suggesting he ask viewers how big their hole was.
“We want to know how bad it is where you are, and we will come and film some of the worst. How big is your hole?” said Levy.
He was, of course, talking about potholes, not bodily orifices.
A call from @peter_levy to see your worst potholes… we think. pic.twitter.com/3iOr5YyHNJ
— BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (@looknorthBBC) January 4, 2024
Local news fans on Twitter were quick to pick up on Levy’s double entendre and, in fairness, so was the Beeb’s own Twitter account.
However, others took the segment in the spirit it was intended with one saying “Come to Burton on Trent if you’re after potholes, you’d be spoilt for choice”. Another even posted video evidence of the two potholes he drove over on the A18 passing Kirmington which damaged two tyres and a bent wheel.
The BBC is no stranger to live news faux pas, however, after Maryam Moshiri accidentally went on-air posing with her middle finger up at a camera person off-screen.
On Channel 5, the BBC’s competitor network, host Jeremy Vine suffered a very different on-air gaffe recently.
During an audience phone-in segment asking whether the current deeply unpopular British prime minister Rishi Sunak could win a general election, “Bob in Glasgow” called in with a potty-mouthed response.
This just happened on live TV😂😂😂😂 go on Bob pic.twitter.com/xZxjjM4BNt
— Chanel (@__chaaanelll) January 5, 2024
Vine said that he listened to the clip 20 times but couldn’t work out what he’d said.
Bob in Glasgow, however, quite clearly said “F*ck the Pope and the IRA” — painting him as a Glasgow Rangers fan, the soccer club that has a longstanding fractious relationship with Glasgow Celtic with the club tracing its origins to Irish Catholic immigrants to the Scottish second city.
