BBC presenter Hazel Irvine was forced to apologise on air after mistakenly forgetting that Dennis Taylor was a former Masters champion. The slip occurred during coverage of the first round of the tournament on Monday.
Irvine, a long-time face of the BBC's Triple Crown coverage, incorrectly stated that Mark Allen was only the second Northern Irish player to win the Masters. She was quickly corrected through her earpiece, prompting her to acknowledge the error: 'Mark Allen, the third [Northern Irish] player, I am corrected, to win the Masters. How could I forget about Dennis Taylor? Sorry DT. Apologies.'
The mistake drew playful reactions from fellow pundits Stephen Hendry and John Parrott, who were in the studio with Irvine. Parrott joked that Taylor would have thrown his biscuit at the television, while Irvine promised to buy him a drink in Sheffield.
The incident occurred as the team analysed Allen's match against Mark Williams. Allen, ranked 10th in the world, came from behind to win 6-2, securing a place in the quarter-finals. He will face either Judd Trump or Ding Junhui.
Allen admitted he had been suffering from food poisoning before the match but praised Alexandra Palace as a venue, calling it 'the best place we play all year.' He added that he was not getting carried away, noting that despite reaching his 11th quarter-final, he has only won the tournament once.
