Presenters on BBC Radio 4's Today programme apologised to listeners after actress Miriam Margolyes swore live on air when talking about new chancellor Jeremy Hunt. The guest, who is known for her crude humour, had been invited at around 8.30am to talk about her fellow late Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane.
Margolyes had just taken the same seat Hunt had sat in earlier in the programme, when she recalled to the presenters the moment she bumped into the new chancellor on his way out. She said: "When I saw him there I just said 'You've got a hell of a job, the best of luck', but I really wanted to say: 'F*** you, you bastard.'"
She added: "But you can't say that", to which the presenters hastily agreed: "Oh, no, no, no, you mustn't say that. No, you can't say that."
The presenters then ushered the actress out. "We'll have to have you out of the studio now," they said, cutting Margolyes off, adding that they sent "many apologies" to listeners. She told producers afterwards that she mistakenly believed she was off air, the BBC reports. The awkward incident has been widely shared on social media, with many praising Margolyes: "Possibly the greatest moment in the Today programme’s history courtesy of Miriam Margolyes," said one on Twitter, while another said: "Miriam Margolyes being a legend."
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