Who put the bee in the BBC?

Published on Friday 28 March 2008 21:24

THE BBC switchboard was said to be in "meltdown" yesterday after a newsreader collapsed in a fit of giggles in the middle of a bulletin.

Charlotte Green had just introduced an item about the oldest known recording of the human voice on the Radio 4 Today programme's 8am news bulletin.

As the recording of a woman singing Clair de Lune, made in 1860, played, someone in the studio apparently whispered to the news reader that it sounded like a bee buzzing in a bottle.

The result was an uncontrollable fit of the giggles as Ms Green struggled to make it to end of the next item – a report about the death of Hollywood screenwriter Abby Mann.

Presenters Ed Stourton and James Naughtie both denied responsibility for the unfortunate whisper.

However, Ms Green's embarrassment clearly amused listeners. Mr Stourton announced that the BBC had been besieged with calls begging them to play it again.

"We have been inundated with hundreds of e-mails asking us to play that again," he said. "Apparently the BBC press office is in meltdown with calls about it."

He added: "We hope the family of Abby Mann will understand that it wasn't intended as any slight towards him."