Mistaken Identity

Memo to the BBC: When clipping a microphone onto an expert's lapel and interviewing him on-camera about, say, a high-profile music industry lawsuit, make sure you have the right man. Try not to interview, say, a hapless mini-cab driver who knows fuck-all about the matter. Unless you're trying to create unforgettable comedy. In that case, chapeau and well done!

Baffled, but compliant, the driver was fitted with a microphone and allowed himself to be marched in to the studio. Cameras rolled, and he was quizzed live on air by consumer affairs correspondent Karen Bowerman — who missed the cabbie's panic-stricken expression when he realised he was being interviewed.

Despite knowing nothing about the case — a judge ruled that the computer company could continue to use the Apple symbol for its iTunes download service — the man gamely attempted to bluff his way through and, speaking in a strong French accent, sustained a (somewhat illogical) form of conversation. Meanwhile, the real Mr Kewney [the intended interviewee] watched indignantly on a monitor in reception.

It's the best BBC performance since the broadcaster requested an interview with Bob Marley 24 years after his death.

Watch the video here.

UPDATE: The man being interviewed isn't a cab driver, it emerges, but an IT specialist who was applying for a job at the BBC.