
Hilarious moment BBC presenter mocks herself after messing up her lines live on air – leaving viewers in stitches
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THIS is the hilarious moment a BBC presenter mocked herself after messing up her lines live on air.
Alexis Green was reporting live from Oxford as part of a feature about flooding when she suffered the unfortunate mind blank.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
3
Alexis Green making a comical gesture on South Today
Credit: BBC
3
It came after she stumbled over her words
Credit: BBC
3
Alexis is a weather presenter for the BBC
Credit: BBC
Newsreader Jo Kent introduced the segment from the studio, before throwing to Alexis - who was next to the River Thames wearing a long black puffer.
Her item appeared to start as planned, as she explained: "Residents here have learnt to live with flooding over the years and some say the 2007 floods were the worst they've ever experienced."
But before long, the weather presenter appeared to go completely blank on her lines.
"Now, with a warming climate, rainfall is expected to become heavier and more persistent in the future," she said, "which is why people here have taken matters into their own homes, hou-, own, own, hands."
Getting progressively flustered, she proceeded to abort the sentence entirely, adding: "Basically, to protect their homes and their businesses."
The presenter could then be seen mocking her own mistake by comically curling her lip and pointing at her head.
A few seconds later, the camera cut to a prerecorded take, showing Alexis walking along the river at Osney Island, west Oxford.
The broadcaster surprisingly chose to keep the blunder, which unfolded on South Today, in the iPlayer recording.
TV viewers were quick to react to the word fumble on social media.
One wrote: "@AlexisGreenTV we love you as much as we love live TV."
BBC News presenter left red-faced over live blunder before she 'disappears' from screens during bulletin
Another said: "@AlexisgreenTV on #BBCSouthToday was on a live broadcast but her VT cut in a second too late so we saw her reaction to her word fumble earlier."
The blunder comes after a similar incident on BBC News earlier this month, when a weather segment went completely awry following a behind-the-scenes issue with the map graphics.
Veteran presenter Louise Lear, 57, began as normal, stating: "Highs and low with the weather coming up, in fact for some today we've actually had two seasons in one day.
"It was quite a chilly start in Scotland a little earlier on, in fact temperatures were as low as minus three."
Turning to the screen she said: "Hopefully we'll be able to show you at some point this evening."
However, the screen still displayed the moving BBC News ident graphic.
Turning back to the camera, she manfully ploughed on with her broadcast, adding: "But it was a cold start in Scotland.
"And then the sunshine got going and we actually saw those temperatures climbing up to highs of 23 degrees."
But things got even worse when an incorrect graphic suddenly flashed up on screen.
And when the right one finally did appear, Louise's face was gone.
She exclaimed: "There we go! Oops, now I've disappeared. But I'll explain to you."
The Sun has reached out to the BBC for comment.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Your photos from the West Midlands: Cows, castle and a busy bee
We love to feature your photographs showing the beauty of the West Midlands and here are some of the best from the past your images via BBC Weather Watchers or email us at midlandstoday@ inspiration, view some top tips from three of England's Big Picture photographers. When emailing pictures, please make sure you include the following information:The full name of the person who took the pictures (as this person owns the copyright)Confirmation that the copyright holder gives permission for the BBC to use their pictures across all its outputsThe location, date and time the pictures were takenYour telephone number so we can get back to you if we have any further other details about the pictures that may be useful for us to knowPlease note that while we welcome all your pictures, we are more likely to use those which have been taken in the past week. Follow for more pictures on Instagram from BBC Birmingham, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, BBC Hereford & Worcester, BBC Shropshire, BBC Stoke & Staffordshire and BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country


The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
I am a Scottish weather presenter - no wonder I love escape fantasies
Does anyone in Scotland really get through a day without mentioning the weather? 'I find all weather exciting, but you have to watch your language, because not everybody likes heat,' says BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, who adores sunshine but understands why 30C can send us into a hot, bothered and tremendously sticky spin. For the vulnerable and elderly, heatwaves can even prove fatal. 'Don't be like, 'Oh, it's going to be a fabulous day,' just state the fact: 'It's going to be sunny and dry today. It's also going to be hot, temperatures getting up to 32 or 33 degree celsius…' Her tone at this point, so familiar to those that have watched her almost every day for the best part of 28 years, makes speaking to a weather presenter about the weather feel rather meta. Kirkwood has a new romance novel coming out (Image: free) Scottish meteorologist Kirkwood, 63, is not only on the frontline, reporting on increasingly volatile weather systems and climate change ('When I was growing up, there were four seasons, you had a definite winter, spring, summer and autumn. Now a lot of them tend to merge,'), she is also an ambassador for sheer escapism from such topics. '[Escapism is] always valuable because it takes you into another world, and you can leave your problems behind for as long as you're reading the book,' she says. 'There's so many things going on in the world, it's nice just to stick your nose in a book and forget about it for a time.' Hence her fifth novel, Meet Me at Sunset, a dramatic romance about a fashion designer called Camille Fontaine, who is 'running away from a shattered love affair' and whose secret-filled past is on the brink of overflowing into her present. More than your classic boy-meets-girl romp, Kirkwood says: 'I really hope you think at the end of it, 'I didn't see that coming'.' Her heroine is inspired by a woman Kirkwood spotted in a restaurant while on holiday in Majorca. 'She was a very elegant lady, she was French, sat upright, her back wasn't touching the seat. She had elegant outfits on. Her hair was in a chignon and she always had the same thing: a salad and a glass of white wine in one of these very delicate, fragile wine glasses. A puff of wind would knock it over and it would break,' she remembers reverently. 'She always looked out to sea and ate alone. I thought, 'Golly, why is somebody like this on her own? She's beautiful.'' The book is both an imagining of that woman's life and a chance for Kirkwood to run literary riot with some of her favourite topics: glamour, fashion and, of course, romance. One of eight children, Kirkwood's parents were hoteliers, and her adoration for glitz and glamour comes from watching Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn films growing up. 'These are the movies my mum would watch and enjoy, and they were always so glamorous – and then you'd see Marilyn Monroe,' she says with an awed sigh. 'My idea of what Hollywood glamour is, and probably the reality of it, are two different things. But some of my characters live in amazing houses with swimming pools, they're in the sunshine and get into their open-top cars and off they go. Life isn't quite like that,' she accepts. 'I just think, to go into any store and be able to buy whatever you want, gosh, wouldn't that be nice?' Read more Most would agree that Kirkwood oozes glamour herself – and certainly did on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 – but she's more self-deprecating. 'You might not think it to look at me on a daily basis, but I do love fashion,' she says with a light laugh, noting she can be hampered outfit-wise depending on what studio she's filming in. 'If I've got the green screen on and I wear a green dress with short sleeves, you would see the end of my arms, my hands and my head.' It can all end up a bit Andy Serkis/Gollum while you're eating your cornflakes if she's not careful. But you get the sense that Kirkwood is careful and sensible, while still finding the joy and pleasure in life. So she does 'try to look my best and stay healthy' but not because she's on the telly, 'but because I want to stay healthy. I got married not that long ago and I want to have a long life with my gorgeous husband, for as long as I can.' Kirkwood married Steve Randall, a police officer, in 2021. 'I am very happy and so lucky to have Steve. I wasn't looking for romance. He came into my life. We were friends before we became romantically involved, and that was nice. I got to know him as a friend, and he's so kind,' she says. So she's upped her protein intake and walks miles, often with Steve on the weekends, when they'll discuss books. This year she also decided to stop snacking. 'I don't know what it is, you sit down with a cup of tea and you think, 'I'll have a Twix'. Or in the evening, with a glass of wine, you think, 'I want some Pringles'. And now, I don't do that. If I have a cup of tea, I just have a cup of tea. And if we're having a glass of wine, I'll toast some pitta or chop up some carrots or red pepper and put out hummus and it's delish. What I have been missing all this time, stuffing my face with Pringles!' Meet Me at Sunset by Carol Kirkwood (Image: free) Steve (people like to make a fuss about the fact he's 14 years younger than her), she says, is 'very romantic and very generous. He's just a lovely man. I pinch myself. I'm punching, I'm really punching.' I tell her no way! And she says, clearly smiling on the end of the phone, 'He says he's punching!' Kirkwood's attitude towards romance is refreshingly cynicism-free, and yet, at the same time, thoroughly realistic. She is wonderfully invested in the whole concept, even though it comes with no guarantees. 'I love hearing about how people meet. I feel sad when relationships break down. I was married before (to property developer Jimmy Kirkwood, they split in 2008), and we got divorced, and it's always sad when that happens,' she muses. 'But of course, there isn't such a thing – I don't think – as a perfect romance, where you're never going to fall out or have cross words. Of course you are, that's life.' Despite all the heartache and the risk though, she is firm: 'We all need a bit of romance in our lives. I know it may not be the genre that's trendy at the moment, but it will always come back. I think there'll always be room in the world for romance.' Meet Me at Sunset by Carol Kirkwood is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99). Available now.


BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
What is the quality of bathing water in the South West?
Update: Date: 13:21 BST Title: What are storm overflows and why are they an issue? Content: Lisa YoungBBC News, South West The government describes storm overflows as "safety valves" built into the combined sewer system. When there is extensive rainfall, excess sewage is discharged into rivers, lakes or the sea through the system. This protects properties from flooding and stops sewage backing up in homes and streets, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says. Campaigners say discharges from storm overflows can contain raw sewage which can contain high levels of harmful bacteria and viruses, and other pollutants such as microplastics and pharmaceuticals. Update: Date: 13:09 BST Title: 'I can see a brown slick going across the water' Content: Lisa YoungBBC News, South West I've been on Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth speaking to swimmers about the quality of the water. Angela Ratcliffe, who lives in the Cornish town, told me she gets in the water nearly every day. "I'm disabled and so if I get in there I'm not disabled," she says. "I can do exercises and everything in there without being in pain." She says she loves the water but she knows when not to get in. "At home I look out and can see a brown slick going across and quite often there's a lot of scum," she says. "I think it's because they've built so many houses - the infrastructure cannot take it." Update: Date: 12:58 BST Title: What do sea swimmers say about pollution? Content: This video can not be played We've been speaking to swimmers at Goodrington North beach in Torbay, Devon, about the issues around water quality. Update: Date: 12:55 BST Title: What do you think of the issues around water quality? Content: We're keen to hear your thoughts on water quality. Are you a sea or river swimmer? Do you check the testing results regularly? Share your comments by emailing us at spotlight@ external. Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy. In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Update: Date: 12:42 BST Title: South West Water backs real-time pollution testing Content: Jonathan MorrisBBC News Online South West Water says it's very supportive of real-time testing of water quality at the region's beaches and rivers. Adele Barker, group chief people officer at South West Water, says: "Testing is a complex problem, but actually we are very supportive of real-time testing and monitoring around the year. "It's done independently at the moment and our customers want that independence." Update: Date: 12:30 BST Title: Mixed picture across south-west of England Content: David BraineBBC South West senior broadcast meteorologist There is a big difference in reservoir levels from west to east. According to the UK Centre of Ecology and Hydrology's latest monthly report, it's clear there was above average rainfall in Devon and Cornwall in June, with river flow being in the normal to above normal range. Yet for Somerset and Dorset, rainfall was only 60% of the long-term average and river flow rates were in the below normal category. Individual reservoir levels also tell this story, with Wimbleball reservoir in Somerset currently at 65%, compared with 87% at this time last year and 58% in 2022, a drought year. For land, reservoirs and rivers in Somerset and Dorset to move back into the normal category, we would need sustained rain from now till autumn - and that certainly is not the forecast. Update: Date: 12:12 BST Title: Give us real-time results on pollution, say swimmers Content: Jonathan MorrisBBC News Online Tests are carried out by the Environment Agency Devon swimmers and clean water campaigners are calling for real-time testing to show pollution levels immediately at designated bathing sites. Currently tests are carried out by the Environment Agency and it can take several days for the results to be published. Rhian Manley is a coach at Devon Sea Swim, which uses the free app from Surfers Against Sewage., external "It actually gives us indications where there are predicted failures and actual failures," she says. "That's being done by an independent organisation, can't we make this better and more accessible to the public?" Adele Barker from South West Water says water quality is improving and it's investing £3.2bn in the region. Update: Date: 12:00 BST Title: Reservoir levels do not give the whole picture Content: David BraineBBC South West senior broadcast meteorologist The overall water storage held in our reservoirs is currently at 74% - this compares with the same time last year at close to 90% full. It can also be compared with the drought year of 2022, when at the same time the level was 60%. The exceptionally dry spring, which was also accompanied by brisk easterly winds, has led to low soil moisture content. This is largely down to high transpiration - or the way plants move water from their roots to their leaves. So while reservoir levels appear to be healthy, rivers and moisture content of the land are not. Update: Date: 11:48 BST Title: Cornwall charity wants better access to water company fines Content: Tamsin MelvilleBBC News, South West A storm overflow in to the St Austell River in January 2024 A Cornwall charity is calling for a better system to distribute money to organisations when water companies are fined for failings. The previous government introduced a Water Restoration Fund, with £11m from penalties recently distributed to local projects instead of going to the Treasury. Nick Taylor, of Three Bays Wildlife Group, says he had to withdraw a funding application because most of the money would've been paid in arrears. "We do not have the funds for that, we would have had to find another grant to get the money - it's ridiculous," he said. Defra says more than £100m in water company fines will go to local environmental projects and it will offer more detail "in due course". Update: Date: 11:37 BST Title: South West Water leadership to change hands Content: South West Water chief executive Susan Davy announced she was retiring from the company earlier this month. The announcement came a day after the firm agreed to pay a £24m enforcement package following a three-year investigation into failures in managing wastewater treatment works and sewer networks. Speaking to BBC Spotlight's Victoria Graham in May, Ms Davy addressed criticism over bill rises, sewage spills and her remuneration. This video can not be played Update: Date: 11:20 BST Title: Rowers have 'strict regime' to tackle pollution Content: James Churchfield from BBC Radio Cornwall has been speaking to the Fowey River Canoe Club's James Asser. He says the club has a "strict regime" to combat pollution - including getting people to shower straight after getting out of the water. Competitors are also wary of keeping their hands free of contamination by always ensuring they are washed. Mr Asser says: "That sort of thing has aided in our success." Update: Date: 11:05 BST Title: Campaign aims to 'give river its sparkle back' Content: Lisa YoungBBC News, South West Across Devon and Cornwall, volunteers are setting about restoring waterways, including the "sick" River Otter. They say the middle and lower parts of the River Otter, in Devon, is so contaminated with sewage-related pollutants, it is now classed in the bottom fifth of England's rivers for water quality. The Otter Valley Association says figures show the river, rated poor by the Environment Agency, had the highest phosphate levels of any major watercourse in Devon and Cornwall. The EA says about 70% of the phosphate levels come from the sewage system. The association reports South West Water (SWW) had discharged untreated sewage into the River Otter for more than 15,000 hours in 2024. Campaigners say they met with SWW representatives last month and were told the water firm had no plans to invest in that section of infrastructure for at least the next five years. Chairman Haylor Lass says: "This river is the lifeblood of our landscape, and it's been neglected for far too long. We are standing together - locals, anglers, experts and nature lovers - to give the Otter back its sparkle." Update: Date: 10:56 BST Title: 'Absolutely no plans for hosepipe ban' Content: Adele Barker, chief people officer at South West Water, says reservoir levels across Devon and Cornwall are "very healthy". "We suffered a drought in 2022, and as a result of that we invested £150m in the region, making sure we were well prepared for any hot season," she says. "That's not to say that everybody should not do their bit to preserve water. "As I sit here now we have absolutely no plans for a hosepipe ban in the South West." South West Water's reservoirs are at 74.3% capacity, according to the latest figures. Update: Date: 10:42 BST Title: Water boss on bills and spills Content: South West Water's group chief people officer Adele Barker has been speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall's James Churchfield. This video can not be played Update: Date: 10:33 BST Title: Can bathing water quality be tested in real time? Content: Kirk EnglandBBC South West environment and tourism correspondent Dr Kieron Fraser is developing an autonomous water quality testing system to be trialled in a buoy in Cawsand Bay Swimmers are amongst those calling for "real-time" testing to show current pollution levels at bathing water sites. The Environment Agency (EA) carries out tests at beaches and rivers but it can take several days for the results to be published. Marianne Daysh, of the St Agnes Water Users Group, says: "You could potentially be swimming around in sewage, so real-time testing would really help." The EA says the current system is "consistent and scientific" and designed to "build a detailed, accurate long-term profile of a site". Scientists at the University of Plymouth are developing an autonomous water quality testing system on a buoy to take and analyse water samples "as frequently as every 15 minutes". Update: Date: 10:25 BST Title: 'Such a shame' bay can't be used all the time Content: Ben Flowe, chairman of Torbay Tri Club, says he checks the quality of the water before allowing people to swim. "If the water quality is bad, which it has been, especially last year, we have to cancel sessions," he says. "Members then get upset and we have to say it's for your safety, but that ends up being a detriment to the club." He says he wants more people to exercise but the bay can't be used all the time due to water quality. "It's such a shame," he says. Update: Date: 10:18 BST Title: Dog walker uses app to keep her pooch safe Content: Carole Eves, from Goodrington Sands in Paignton, says she uses an app on her phone to check water quality. She says her dog Daisy loves swimming and she the app tells her whether there have been any recent spills. Update: Date: 10:11 BST Title: We will work with new ombudsman - water boss Content: In one of the biggest shake-ups of the water sector in years, the government says water firms will be overseen by a new ombudsman who will tackle leaky pipes, incorrect bills and other issues, external. Speaking to BBC Radio Cornwall, South West Water's Adele Barker says the company is ready to be held to account. "We are very supportive of all the recommendations and we will absolutely work with an ombudsman," she says. "We want to do anything we can to reassure customers that we are committed to improving services." Update: Date: 09:54 BST Title: 'People are bothered about what's going into the bay' Content: Hattie McCannBBC Radio Devon I'm at Goodrington North beach, near Paignton in Devon, and I've been paddling and sea swimming with a group of regulars who come here every day. They've been sharing their concerns about water quality and what they want to change. It's a lovely day and everybody is enjoying themselves, but they are bothered about what's going into the bay and the price of their bills. Update: Date: 09:45 BST Title: New housing having an impact, SWW says Content: Housing developments are putting pressure on South West Water's network, according to the firm. Adele Barker, chief people officer at the utility, says: "We are very supportive of housing and what it brings to the economic growth of the region. "Absolutely we would like to be involved as early as possible in planning decisions so we can work proactively."