BBC Breakfast apologises for running three-year-old Boris Johnson clip

Boris Johnson

BBC Breakfast has apologised after running a three-year-old clip of Boris Johnson laying a wreath in its Remembrance Day coverage this morning.

In a statement, the Corporation said a production error had led to the programme showing images of Johnson laying a wreath in 2016 (above), when he was Foreign Secretary, rather than yesterday as Prime Minister.

Some reports had suggested that Johnson placed the wreath the wrong way round at the Cenotaph during the Remembrance Day service yesterday, and that he looked dishevelled.

This led to some people claiming conspiracy theories, suggesting that the BBC had deliberately doctored the report.

However, in a statement, the BBC said: “This was a production mistake and we apologise for the error.”

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And BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani took to Twitter to explain that the 2016 archive footage had been restored to the system early yesterday morning in order to preview the Remembrance Sunday service.

“To explain the production error on @BBCBreakfast, the footage of Remembrance Sunday 2016 was among archive restored at 0403am on Sunday to preview the service,” said Frediani, who leads the MediaCityUK-based Breakfast team.

“It was used in error today. Claims it was combined with 2019 footage this morning are wholly incorrect.”

Former BBC 5 Live Breakfast presenter Shelagh Fogarty, who now works for LBC, responded to one social media user who claimed a conspiracy – “and your tweet begs the question have you ever produced Breakfast TV?”


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