BBC were forced into apology Gary Lineker didn't agree with after FA Cup sex noise prank
Chaos unfolded on set during the BBC's coverage of the FA Cup as Gary Lineker was left to deal with a crude prank live on air.
The BBC was once forced to apologise over a sex noise prank that disrupted its FA Cup broadcast, leaving Gary Lineker in disagreement. Wolves face Liverpool at home on Friday night in the fifth round of the FA Cup after the same fixture took place at the Molineux Stadium in the Premier League earlier this week.
Wolves also hosted Liverpool in a FA Cup third round replay back in January 2023. The BBC will hope its broadcast of the FA Cup clash this time around goes smooth-sailing after a shocking incident unfolded last time out. Ahead of the fixture three years ago, which ended 1-0 in Liverpool’s favour, then-presenter Lineker and pundits Paul Ince and Danny Murphy tried to discuss the tie before kick-off. Suddenly, loud moaning noises of a sexual nature began blaring out at full volume in the background. It was initially uncertain where the sounds were coming from as Lineker and the pundits tried their best to remain professional and continue their analysis with straight faces. Lineker couldn’t help chuckling and made light of the situation despite the non-stop interruptions playing on a loop.
The noises were heard by viewers while the broadcaster cut away from the studio for a chat with co-commentator Alan Shearer in the gantry. Lineker revealed shortly after kick-off on X that the source of the noises had been a hidden mobile phone. He wrote: "Well, we found this taped to the back of the set," he tweeted alongside a picture of the phone in question. "As sabotage goes it was quite amusing."
The BBC later apologised to viewers who were offended by what transpired and pledged to investigate the incident fully. Yet, Lineker, who left his long-time role on the BBC last year, saw the funny side as he tweeted a picture of the viral incident and quipped: "Nothing to moan about, I guess."
He poked fun at the incident several more times, including during the half-time segment and after the final whistle, saying: "Harvey Elliott’s goal was a screamer... which was not the only one we’ve had tonight."
When interviewed by Newsnight after the game, Lineker took a light-hearted view on the incident and questioned the need to say sorry. He said: "If you had told me this morning that tonight I would be on Newsnight talking about a porn scandal, I would have been terrified.
"But thankfully it was just something that happened in the studio. When it started, I did recognise that sound, I think we've all been done with that. You might open a WhatsApp and somebody has sent it as a trick, or something. It was quite difficult to deal with during the pre-match build-up.
"I thought maybe it had gone to one of the pundits' phones but then we worked out that it was a prank. It was so loud that I could hardly hear what the pundits were saying. I have to say, I think it's funny.
"The BBC have issued some sort of apology - I know not why. We've certainly got nothing to apologise for."
Lineker and Shearer recalled the incident several months later. Lineker said: "I was interviewing Alan when it was actually going on," as Shearer added: "Yeah, I was on the co-coms [co-commentary]. So I was inside the stadium. I could hear it and there was a part of me thinking it was my phone!"
Lineker then interjected: "It's the porn he was listening to the night before!" Shearer admitted he had been pranked by the moaning noise before and was originally left stunned, believing his phone had played the audio out loud by accident.
He continued: "I'd been tricked by people sending me that video so many times and I'm thinking, 'Has it gone off on my phone, in my pocket?' I tried to be professional and ignore it; I only started laughing when you [Lineker] started laughing!"
Later revealed to be responsible for the sabotage was infamous prankster Dan Jarvis, known as Jarvo69 or BMWJarvo, who had simply walked into Molineux unchecked by security to plant the phone. Jarvis released a video on YouTube live streaming from his living room showing exactly how it was carried out with the help of accomplices.
Eventually, he got onto the BBC’s set and, after toying with the idea of planting the £20 phone with the X-rated extra-loud ringtone under a chair or a table, he stuck it to the wall of the set, somewhere high up and out of sight. He claims to have rung his burner phone 12 times during the broadcast.
