BBC mistakes cabbie for ‘expert’ and interviews him live on air

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/May/theworld_May501.xml§ion=theworld&col=

LONDON — A London cabbie suffered an awkward few moments of fame when the BBC mistook him for a computer expert and interviewed him live on the flagship News 24 channel, the corporation admitted yesterday.

The real expert was Guy Kewney, a journalist specialising in computer issues who had been invited to comment on Apple Computer’s legal battle with Apple Corps, the Beatles’ music publishing company.

Awaiting his moment in a back room of the BBC studios last Monday, Kewney glanced idly at the television and was astonished to see that presenter Karen Bowerman was supposedly already interviewing him.

But the uneasy-looking black man on the screen bore no resemblance to the bearded, ginger pundit, though he was doing his best to answer Bowerman’s questions.

throw in any Howard Stern references, did he?

"And from what we can tell right now it looks like one of Baba-Booey's teeth"...

The video: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/video/cabbie.wmv

The expression on the cabbie's face is priceless...

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=386136&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

The interview

Karen Bowerman: Guy Kewney is editor of the technology website Newswireless.

Face of horror

KB: Hello, good morning to you.

Taxi driver: Good morning.

KB: Were you surprised by this verdict today.

Taxi driver: I am very surprised to see... this verdict to come on me because I was not expecting that. When I came they told me somehting else and I am coming. So a big surprise anyway.

KB: A big surprise, yeah, yes.

Taxi driver: Exactly.

KB: With regards to the costs involved do you think now more people will be downloading online?

Taxi driver: Actually If you can walk everywhere yoy are going to see a lot of people downloading the internet and the website and everything they want. But I think eh It is much better for development and eh to inform people what they want and to get the easy way and so faster if they are looking for.

KB: It does really seem the way the music industry's progressing now that people want to go onto the website and download music.

Taxi driver: Exactly you can go everywhere on the cyber cafe and you can take, you can go easy. It is going to be an easy way for everyone to get something to the internet

KB: Thank you. Thanks very much indeed.

Thanks for sharing the video.