BBC News (lost unaired Guy Kewney interview; 2006)

Guy Goma, upon realizing the interview mix-up.

Status: Lost

BBC News is a British television news channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation, broadcasting 24/7 since 1997. On May 8th, 2006, journalist Karen Bowerman was set to interview Guy Kewney, an internet expert operating newswireless.net, regarding the outcome of the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer court case. However, in what is widely considered one of the greatest cases of mistaken identity, a producer accidentally brought in Guy Goma for the interview, who was actually present at BBC Television Centre to be interviewed for an accountancy role in the corporation's IT department. Notably, once the mishap was discovered, a piece to camera interview featuring the actual Guy Kewney was recorded, but was never broadcast.

Background

After the outcome of the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer court case was announced, BBC News decided to invite British internet expert Guy Kewney to discuss the matter. At the same time, Guy Goma was situated in the main reception area of the BBC Television Centre to be interviewed for an accountancy role. A producer was sent to fetch Kewney for the interview, being informed he was present in the main reception area. In actuality, Kewney was in another reception area in preparation for the television interview. The producer then asked a receptionist where Kewney was, with her pointing to Goma. Although not entirely sure whether this was Kewney, the producer became convinced when upon asking Goma if he was "Guy", Goma replied that he was. He then ushered "Kewney" to the BBC News 24 Studio, where Goma was applied makeup and sent to the television studio in front of cameras and applied with a microphone.

Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the preparation, Goma remained convinced he was about to be interviewed for the job. However, to his visible shock, he discovered that a case of mistaken identity had occurred when interviewer Karen Bowerman referred to him as "Guy Kewney" and began to ask Goma questions about the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer case on live television. Although startled, Goma maintained his composure and was able to answer Bowerman's questions competently. At the same time, the real Kewney was appalled by the mishap.

Afterward, Goma was interviewed for the accountancy role but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the BBC upon discovering the mistake invited Kewney to participate in a piece-to-camera interview to discuss his thoughts on the court case, which he hoped would repair his image following the Goma interview. Although the footage was recorded, the BBC decided to broadcast a live interview of the British writer and journalist Rupert Goodwins in its place. Kewney was upset over the ordeal, being particularly critical of Goma. Nonetheless, the pair reconciled following a meeting on July 7th, 2007. The interview featuring the wrong "Guy" has become of the most famous news reporting mishaps of all time, enabling Goma to appear on multiple television shows in the years following.

Availability

The Guy Goma interview is widely available for public viewing. On May 10th, 2016, ten years after the interview was broadcast, BBC News uploaded HD footage of the interview completely from Goma's perspective, including what happened a few seconds before the live interview was due to commence.

In contrast, Guy Kewney's piece to camera interview was never broadcast on BBC television and has yet to surface online. The only evidence of the interview existing was a mention by Kewney on his newswireless.net blog.

Videos

The Guy Goma interview.

Footage from Goma's perspective.

See Also

• Desert Island Discs (lost unaired BBC Radio 4 interview with Alistair MacLean; 1972)

External Link

• IMDb page for Guy Goma. Retrieved 23 Feb '20