Vernon Kay Apologises After Jimmy Savile Slip-Up On Radio 2 Breakfast Show

"I’m never going to live that one down, am I?"
Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay
Neil Mockford via Getty Images

Vernon Kay has issued an apology after accidentally name-checking Jimmy Savile while presenting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

The former Family Fortunes host is currently filling in for Zoe Ball on her morning radio show, and during Tuesday’s broadcast he interviewed Soft Cell singer Marc Almond.

At one point during the interview, Vernon read out a message from a fan of Marc’s, who said the star’s music had helped him “through some dark days”.

“I saw him at Pride and I think I was the first one at Hyde Park to run down and wait for him at the front,” Vernon read out, before referencing his “duet with Jimmy Savile”.

“Jimmy Somerville, apologies,” he quickly corrected, after accidentally mentioning the disgraced former broadcaster.

He quickly added: “That’s a clip that we don’t want to… ever hear again. Apologies. Apologies. Jimmy Somerville… rewind.”

“So there you go, your music is really getting out there,” Vernon told the singer, who was still laughing at the gaffe. “Crikey, I’m never going to live that one down, am I? Eh? There’s a meme right there.”

“Moving on!” Marc swiftly added.

Vernon Kay doing a Sterling job sitting in for Zoe Ball pic.twitter.com/UEmDc8cNK4

— GaryDN (@GaryLDN) March 22, 2022

Poor Vernon Kay will be trending shortly…

— Jon Pearce (@jon_pearce) March 22, 2022

Ooh Vernon Kay, what a slip that was !#BBCRadio2 #vernonkay #marcalmond

— David Robinson (@davro57) March 22, 2022

Vernon Kay 🤦🏻♂️

— InSouthgateWeWin (@Joshuaaa_84) March 22, 2022

The way he tried to brush off his error, I'm not sure Vernon Kay has ever heard of the Streisand Effect. https://t.co/rMDdK8ij25

— Simon (@HungryHatter) March 22, 2022

Following the gaffe, Vernon played three songs back-to-back, only for his phone alarm to go off in the middle of the morning’s traffic report.

“I think I should delete this half hour of radio,” he joked. “Can we go into BBC iPlayer and just get rid of it?”

After the show, Vernon responded to one fan who’d commented on the gaffe with a face-palm emoji, commenting: “Oh don’t!!! I could die!!!”

@vernonkay @BBCRadio2 @MarcAlmond #lol Thank you to #vernonkay for a making me laugh. Just finished cleaning the laughed out coffee off the floor.

— Longford Lass (@Longford_lass) March 22, 2022

Oh don’t!!! I could die!!! pic.twitter.com/tNd4XNxZRk

— Vernon Kay (@vernonkay) March 22, 2022

When another listener suggested the clip was “guaranteed to surface later”, he added: “For the rest of eternity!!!”

Spat my tea out at @vernonkay slipping up there. Even funnier when Marc Almond lost it.

That clip will be guaranteed to surface somewhere on here later.

— Jamie Davies (@jamiedavies1804) March 22, 2022

For the rest of eternity!!!😂😂😂🤦🏻

— Vernon Kay (@vernonkay) March 22, 2022

Over the weekend, Vernon was forced to step in at the eleventh hour to host this year’s Comic Relief telethon, after scheduled presenter Joel Dommett tested positive for Covid.

He also joined Matt Lucas and David Walliams in a revival of their Rock Profile sketch.

The Radio 2 Breakfast show airs every morning from 6.30am.

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