Match of the Day host Gary Lineker left no stone unturned in an effort to avoid a repeat of the prank which affected the BBC’s FA Cup coverage earlier in the month.
A live broadcast of the third-round replay between Wolves and Liverpool was interrupted by porn noises. Lineker was on hosting duty that day as well, and the former England striker discovered a mobile phone hidden on the set which appeared to be the cause of the noise.
Prankster Jarvo69 took credit for that stunt and streamed it at the time. Understandably, ahead of coverage of the fourth-round game between Preston and Tottenham, Lineker was desperate to ensure the same thing didn’t take place.
In a video posted on his own Twitter account with the caption “All clear”, Lineker can be heard narrating as a camera scans for any hidden objects. “Here’s the studio – better check for any devices,” he says.
He checks the backs of chairs and under chairs before saying “I think we’re okay”. Other voices can be heard laughing as the 62-year-old completes the checks.
The match between Preston and Tottenham is one of a number of meetings between Premier League clubs and sides from the Championship or below. The two teams have not met since 2009 when Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 League Cup win for Spurs at Deepdale, and Ryan Lowe’s hosts sit 11th in the Championship after taking just six points from their last six games.
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BBC)
“If you told me this morning that tonight I’d be on Newsnight talking about a porn scandal I would have been terrified,” Lineker said in the aftermath of the original prank. “When it started, I did recognise that sound. I think we’ve all been done with that when you open up a WhatsApp or something.
“It was so loud I couldn’t hear anything that either Danny Murphy or even when I spoke to Alan Shearer. I could hardly hear what they said when the thing was going on.” I have to say I think it’s funny.
“The BBC have issued some sort of apology, I know not why. It’s certainly got nothing to apologise for. It was quite hard to carry on the pre-match build-up and take it seriously when this was going on in the background.
“It added to the whole game actually. I don’t think anyone cared for the game. We had a screamer of a goal which was kind of the tone of the whole show in some ways. As pranks go, it was a good one and credit to them. It was funny I thought.”
