BBC Match Of The Day 'Pranked' As 'Sex Noises' Disrupt Live Broadcast

“As sabotage goes it was quite amusing,” presenter Gary Lineker admits.
Gary Lineker trying to keep a straight face as he interview Alan Shearer.
Gary Lineker trying to keep a straight face as he interview Alan Shearer.
BBC

Gary Lineker had to summon every ounce of professionalism as the BBC’s live coverage of the FA Cup clash between Wolves and Liverpool was disrupted by ... sex noises.

The BBC presenter was previewing the third-round replay in a studio at Molineux alongside pundits Paul Ince and Danny Murphy when awkward and audible pornographic wails broke out in the background.

Lineker looked momentarily startled by what was happening, and struggled to keep a straight face as he cut to colleague and fellow former England striker Alan Shearer in the commentary gantry.

But Lineker pressed on, laughing off the incident as the noise continued to blare out. He said to Shearer: “Somebody’s sending something on someone’s phone, I think. I don’t know whether you heard it at home.”

Gary Lineker presses on like a pro as BBC Match of the Day disrupted by "sex noises" pic.twitter.com/zdyZJzPi70

— Graeme Demianyk (@GraemeDemianyk) January 17, 2023

The stunt did not go unnoticed on social media.

Looks like no contest to me pic.twitter.com/lmwXTTQFUc

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) January 17, 2023

When you trying to eat your dinner but you hear some sex noises on BBC Sport pic.twitter.com/AJLmbuRn7d

— Fledgling (@FPLFledgling) January 17, 2023

I once snuck a phone into the #MOTD studio live on BBC1 to play sex noises so we didn’t have to listen to Danny Murphy pic.twitter.com/krubMYcMT5

— Sheff Gooner (@SheffGooner1) January 17, 2023

Think we've found the BBC sex noise prankster pic.twitter.com/CzGTdKIwoQ

— General Boles (@GeneralBoles) January 17, 2023

Lineker later revealed the loud moaning noises were caused by a hidden mobile phone “taped to the back of the set”.

Once the match had begun, Lineker revealed the cause, tweeting a picture of a mobile phone and three laughing emojis alongside the words: “Well, we found this taped to the back of the set.

“As sabotage goes it was quite amusing.”

Well, we found this taped to the back of the set. As sabotage goes it was quite amusing. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/ikUhBJ38Je

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) January 17, 2023

Liverpool scored the only goal of the first half, and during the half-time analysis, Lineker said to Ince and Murphy: “Harvey Elliott’s goal was a screamer… which was not the only one we’ve had tonight.”

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