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BBC Breakfast star Charlie Stayt apologised to viewers after an awkward blunder involving the late Gene Hackman.
The legendary actor, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead in their Santa Fe home this week alongside their pet dog, and police have launched an investigation into their deaths.
During Friday’s episode of BBC Breakfast, the investigation was discussed as part of a pre-recorded segment, with a photo of Hackman appearing on screen.
However, there was a technical issue which meant the picture of the Oscar winner stayed on screen despite broadcaster Charlie moving on.
Unfortunately, the next item was the BBC’s apology over a controversial documentary about Gaza narrated by the son of a Hamas leader.
‘The BBC has apologised for serious flaws in the production of a documentary about the war in Gaza,’ he started, with the image still on screen.
The programme then cut too early to a reporter in Kyiv waiting to deliver his own report.
‘Apologies,’ Charlie said as during the awkward moment. ‘Let’s just get that bit straightened out.’
Viewers noticed the mistake, which came at a less than ideal time given the very different items being covered as X user @HJMKent quipped: ‘Work experience trainee producing #BBCBreakfast this morning?’
The BBC has acknowledged ‘serious flaws in the making’ of Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which reportedly cost more than £400,000 to produce.
Independent production company Hoyo films made the documentary, and failed to inform the BBC about potential connections between narrator Abdullah al-Yazouri, whose father was Ayman al-Yazouri, the Hamas Government’s deputy agriculture minister.
‘[The BBC] has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme. Some of these were made by the production company, and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable,’ the broadcaster said in a statement.
‘BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation. We apologise for this.’
Meanwhile, the tragic news of Hackman and Arakawa’s death was reported in the early hours of Thursday morning.
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In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, the outlet reports that Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: ‘It sounds like they had been deceased for quite a while, and I don’t want to guess in reference to how long that was.
‘There was no immediate sign of foul play. Haven’t ruled that out yet. This is an investigation, so we’re keeping everything on the table.’
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BBC Breakfast airs weekdays at 6am on BBC One.
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