Nicholas ([info]nwhyte) wrote,
@ 2006-05-14 23:39:00
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Current mood: amused
Entry tags:bbc

The only qualification for being an expert...
...Via [info]srk1: This is absolutely glorious.

The Times has the story:

IT WAS not until midway through the live television interview that the BBC interviewer started to grow suspicious. The man whom she believed to be an expert on internet music downloads seemed to know precious little about his subject.

Not only that, but the stocky black man with the strong French accent bore little resemblance to the picture on the expert’s website, which showed a slim white man with blue eyes and blond hair.
Full interview here. The look of sudden horror, followed by a feeling of "Oh, what the hell!" that goes across the guy's face as he realises he is being interviewed live on TV about a subject he know very little about is an object lesson to us all. In the circumstances, I think he performed rather well.

Edited to add The bloke who should have been interviewed has given us his side of the story.


(9 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]sameen
2006-05-14 08:42 pm UTC (link)
i remember this story, i was going to post it aswell

(Reply to this)


[info]peteyoung
2006-05-14 09:12 pm UTC (link)
This morning's Broadcasting House on R4 covered the story from Guy Kewney's PoV. Very entertaining... that impostor had balls.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]sammywol
2006-05-15 09:30 am UTC (link)
I love BH! I thought Kewney's worries that this might have a bad effect on him getting future interview spots were refreshingly honest too.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]captainlucy
2006-05-14 11:01 pm UTC (link)
Magnificent! :D

That look of "OMG!WTF? Aaah, bollocks, I'm here now, may as well make a go of it!" was absolutely priceless! :D

(Reply to this)


[info]sammywol
2006-05-15 09:28 am UTC (link)
I saw the interview. To be frank I have seen worse performances by assorted 'experts' that get trotted out to comment on issues of the day. I tried to tell the gaming group this tale last night but I am sure half of them thought I was making it up.

(Reply to this)


[info]tanngrisnir
2006-05-15 10:22 am UTC (link)
OMG! When I read this post and started smiling I didn’t realise the expert in question was Guy Kewney. How bizarre, could there be anyone less like the chunky black bloke they put on screen?

I used to read Kewney’s column regularly in PCW, he really does know what he is on about most of the time. OK, all of the time, it’s just that sometimes I dont agree with him. ;o)

The only upside for him, I suppose, is that he is quite well known as an IT journalist and News 24 doesn’t have an enormous audience.

(Reply to this)


[info]minny
2006-05-16 12:17 pm UTC (link)
Sky News just had the black man on as a guest to dissect the whole thing and have a laugh at the BBC!

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]nwhyte
2006-05-16 12:26 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, turns out he actually is an IT expert but thought he was there for a job interview!

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]banhe
2006-05-16 06:22 pm UTC (link)
Of course, the really scary thing is that the poor sod was there for a job interview (as an IT assistant). The sheer terror of going for what you think is a job interview - and you're live on television! Not good...

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