BBC Radio 4 has been caught up in an unlikely tangle after two of its senior broadcasters accidentally said the C-word live on air.
The bizarre series of events started at 8am this morning when news anchor James Naughtie got his words in a tangle when referring to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Naughtie shocked the show’s six million listeners when he accidentally turned the airwaves blue – calling Mr Hunt Mr C**t.
He promptly apologised for the expletive, saying: “I’m very sorry to those of you who thought it wasn’t what you wanted to hear over your breakfast. Neither did I.”
Later on, Andrew Marr repeated the four-letter expletive on Radio 4’s Start the Week programme.
The 51-year-old said: “We’re not going to repeat it in quite the terms it happened.”
However, he promptly committed the same faux pas and before telling his audience: “I should apologise for saying it again, but it’s very hard to talk about it without saying it.”
A BBC spokeswoman said: “James and Andrew regret what happened and have both apologised for their verbal tangles on air.
“These instances both involved a slip of the tongue during a live broadcast and we apologise for any offence caused.”
Culture Secretary Hunt found the whole episode amusing.
The Conservative MP tweeted: “They say prepare for anything before going on Today but that took the biscuit… I was laughing as much as u Jim or should I say Dr Spooner.”