A live BBC interview was thrown into disarray on Monday morning when a technical fault abruptly cut off a Strictly Come Dancing star mid-sentence. The incident occurred on BBC One's Morning Live during a segment featuring professional dancer Lauren Oakley and her former celebrity partner, football legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
The Interview That Went Silent
The pair had joined the programme via video link on January 12 to discuss the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing live tour. Presenter Helen Skelton was quizzing Oakley about the playful rivalry and backstage pranks among the tour cast. Just as Oakley began to reveal some secrets, her audio feed failed completely.
"Well, Neil (fellow pro Neil Jones) likes to think that he is like the prank king. But I think I put up some good competition during the series. There are a few backstage things going on," Oakley had said, chuckling, before the sound cut out. Co-host Gethin Jones quickly lightened the mood, joking: "He's pranking your connection right now!"
Presenters React to On-Air Hitch
Once the video link was restored and Oakley was back online, Helen Skelton told her, "We didn't hear a word, but we will just take it that you don't want to give away the gag!" The conversation then moved to Hasselbaink, with Skelton sharing her own experiences of Neil Jones's mischievous behaviour during her time on Strictly in 2022.
She warned the former footballer: "I'll warn you, Jimmy, Neil used to whisper things to me live on tour, like on stage as we were going out to dance. They're not broadcast appropriate, so you just have to put your invisible headphones on." Hasselbaink responded with a laugh, confirming he was well accustomed to Jones's antics from their time at the Elstree studios.
Behind the Scenes of the Strictly Tour
The brief interruption did not derail the segment, which successfully highlighted the fun and camaraderie expected on the forthcoming nationwide tour. The interview underscored the light-hearted backstage atmosphere that exists among the Strictly professionals, even if some of the prank details were lost to the technical blunder.
While live television is no stranger to the occasional glitch, this moment provided an unscripted and humorous insight into the challenges of remote broadcasting. Morning Live continues to air daily on BBC One.
