'Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it....

Nodin

..shite, I feckin said it'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/06/james-naughtie-today-jeremy-hunt

I had a maths teacher named Mike Hunt. True as jaysus, though no-one believes me.

kfallon

Nodin wrote: »

True as jaysus

Well there's the first reason for us not to believe you!!!!

Biggins

Was reading about that in the Times.
Here is a link they provided to hear the actual incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1G6osCnsbA&feature=youtu.be

The Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie committed the ultimate broadcaster’s faux pas this morning as he introduced a guest on the Today programme.

He was supposed to say: “First up after the news we will be talking to Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary.”

Instead, Mr Naughtie perpetrated a very unfortunate Spoonerism – swapping around the initial letters of two of the words.

“First up after the news we will be talking to Jeremy C***,” he announced, then fell into an appalled silence.

After a pause he added: “…Hunt, the Culture Secretary...about (coughs) broadband” before falling silent once more. The 8am pips echoed in the hush.

A discomposed Mr Naughtie made an attempt to smooth over his disaster as he summarised the news headlines, but his voice was distorted several times by a strange choking noise.

“Bad coughing fit,” he explained, after he managed to give the name of the news reader. Several listeners contacted the BBC say that, on the contrary, the choking noise had sounded more like suppressed hysteria.

Mr Naughtie had ten minutes to recover while the news was read and he then made a graceful apology to all those who had sent calls and e-mails.

Some listeners had found his mistake funny, he noted, but he wished to say sorry to those who hadn’t. “I certainly regret it,” he added.

The urbane Mr Hunt did not refer to his interviewer’s contretemps. Minutes later however he tweeted on the social networking site Twitter: “They say prepare for anything before going on Today but that took the biscuit... I was laughing as much as u Jim or shld I say Dr Spooner.”

He admitted to The Times: “I haven’t ever done the 8.10am slot on the Today programme before. The first time you do that slot you feel a bit nervous. I think that Jim was just trying to relax me.”

The rest of Twitter meanwhile was ablaze with the news, which by 8.30am had already gained its own a hashtag: #c***gate.

“Best bit was Naughtie giggling uncontrollably & attempting to disguise it as a coughing fit,” wrote “omnivorist”.

“Really, no need to apologise, Mr Naughtie. The DoE had always thought that “Jeremy Hunt” was rhyming slang,” tweeted “mamalasagne”.

“Amandajhart” reflected: “Jim Naughtie beats Julian Assange to it with most obvious secret revelation yet.”

Today’s producers tried to make light of the kerfuffle, tweeting as @r4Today: “Yes, your ears deceived you. Move along now, nothing to see here...”

Unfortunately the mistake appeared to be infectious. Andrew Marr inadvertently repeated Naughtie’s slip-up during his cultural discussion programme Start The Week after the 9am news on Radio 4, when conversation on philosophy turned to Freudian slips.

The former BBC political editor told his guests he would not repeat Naughtie’s earlier remarks but then did just that while trying to say “Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary”.

He said: “I must apologise for saying it again but it’s just very hard to talk about it without saying it.”

Several listeners were reminded of Mark Lawson’s difficulties during a live debate about the philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose name, Lawson noted, “is habitually pronounced by academics to rhyme with ‘punt’”.

He went on: “And so it was that, one night on Late Review, I heard Professor Germaine Greer declare, during a discussion of a new book by Roger Scruton: ‘The problem with Scruton is that he tries to write about c*** but he knows absolutely nothing about c***’.

“I was drafting an apology in my head - ‘Germaine is known for her robust language, but I’m sorry if anyone found that below the belt...’ - when the foul-mouthed Professor suddenly referred to ‘C***’s Critique of Pure Reason’,” wrote Mr Lawson.

“I realised what had happened and changed the apology to express a hope that the correct academic pronunciation hadn’t confused anyone.”

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article2834153.ece

Nodin

Biggins wrote: »

Was reading about that in the Times.
Here is a link they provided to hear the actual incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1G6osCnsbA&feature=youtu.be

Thats the short version. The long version is linked in the Guardian article in the OP, halfway down.

Deus Ex Machina

Mr Jablome, first name Heywood.

OutlawPete

Here's the clip ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1G6osCnsbA

Nodin

And heres the full clip...
http://audioboo.fm/boos/231587-james-naughtie-seizes-up-after-mistaking-c-for-h

Nodin

And, like a disease.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0t56gLnkLU

Dudess

Pity he apologised to the fuk-wits who were offended by it (wow, if you're offended by something that isn't even intentional then you must have issues) - well, maybe one "sorry" for the sake of professionalism, but he was a bit too grovelling at one point. Otherwise he handled it well.

Selected

Dudess wrote: »

Pity he apologised to the fuk-wits who were offended by it (wow, if you're offended by something that isn't even intentional then you must have issues) - well, maybe one "sorry" for the sake of professionalism, but he was a bit too grovelling at one point. Otherwise he handled it well.

I want an AH duel with the Dudess - the gauntlet (glove) has been thrown.

Nodin

Dudess wrote: »

Pity he apologised to the fuk-wits who were offended by it (wow, if you're offended by something that isn't even intentional then you must have issues) - well, maybe one "sorry" for the sake of professionalism, but he was a bit too grovelling at one point. Otherwise he handled it well.

They've been hammered over the last few years, and unfortunately are essentially the hostages of the Daily Fail/Express brigade.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I know two Mike Hunts. People in my village clearly didnt think names through very well.

Lab_Mouse

Nodin wrote: »

I had a maths teacher named Mike Hunt. True as jaysus, though no-one believes me.

Wasnt rathmines VEC by any chance?

Wertz

Was half asleep listening to that this morning and thought I imagined it...then they started issuing apologies during the mid morning.
Today is quality journalism...pity it has to kowtow to the type of people who go out of their way to be offended at the slightest thing...

Nodin

Lab_Mouse wrote: »

Wasnt rathmines VEC by any chance?

The very same, though it was some 21 years ago.

Lab_Mouse

Nodin wrote: »

The very same, though it was some 21 years ago.

Only seen him walking through rathmines the other day so presume he's still teaching.18 years are there abouts since I walked through its doors

Nodin

Lab_Mouse wrote: »

Only seen him walking through rathmines the other day so presume he's still teaching.18 years are there abouts since I walked through its doors

Haven't seen him in years. Seen Harris last wednesday though.