Sky News presenter Mark Austin fell victim to a technical glitch on Wednesday when an inappropriate word was broadcast during his daily News Hour show. The veteran journalist had been speaking to correspondent John Craig, who was in Westminster, when the incident occurred around 5:20 pm.
The Unfortunate Moment
The pair had been discussing Keir Starmer's final Prime Minister's Questions as well as the arrest of a man over online threats to Nigel Farage. After thanking Craig, the feed cut back to Austin in the studio, who began telling viewers about a report on social media restrictions. However, he appeared to have microphone issues and could not be heard, as a short clip appeared on screen of teenagers using phones. Meanwhile, Craig could be heard saying, "I had the b****y thing on my phone, and it disappeared." The channel then quickly cut to an advert.
No Acknowledgment After the Break
When the show returned, Austin did not address the glitch and instead went to Washington, where correspondent James Matthews discussed the latest on Donald Trump. Prior to the unfortunate moment, Austin and Craig had reflected on Starmer's final PMQs, who bid an emotional farewell to his role as prime minister.
Reflections on Starmer's Final PMQs
Sir Keir told MPs: "In addition to my duties in this House, I have an important appointment with the television at eight o’clock this evening." Craig observed, "Kemi Badenoch had a very light touch today. Unlike some of her barbs that she's thrown across the dispatch box in recent months." He added, "The exchanges between the Tory leader and the outgoing prime minister were very cordial and quite genuine."
Craig continued: "The prime minister actually thanked Kemi Badenoch for being kind to him and contacting him when there was an arson attack on his home in North London and also when his brother died. And then we came to the very emotional bit at the end, when the Prime Minister referred to his team, who were in the Commons in the civil service bench. And when he mentioned his family, right at the end, his wife Victoria was in the VIP seats at the other end of the chamber, the public gallery end. She was there in a bright red dress. You could see her quite clearly. One of the reasons it was quite emotional was because he kept looking up and referring to people he'd helped during his time as PM. Now they were in the gallery immediately in front of him, above the Conservative side, and that was quite emotional as well."
