Gary Lineker discovered a phone hidden in the BBC studio after coverage of the FA Cup tie between Wolves and Liverpool was plunged into disarray by porn noise "sabotage".
There were just 15 minutes of build-up to Tuesday night's third-round replay at Molineux, but the majority of them were interrupted by the same porn sounds frequently employed by internet pranksters. Lineker was left to awkwardly try and direct pre-match punditry involving Paul Ince, Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer.
Yet the noises kept coming at regular intervals, leaving fans up and down the country who had tuned into their televisions utterly bewildered. Much to Lineker and the pundits' relief, the match soon got underway, giving them the chance to unearth the cause of the sounds.
The culprits behind BBC's embarrassing porn noise blunder during their coverage of Liverpool's FA Cup clash away at Wolves have since been revealed. A YouTuber who boasts the account name Jarvo69 aka BMWJarvo went live and streamed the stunt to thousands of viewers as he explained how they had managed to tape a phone to the back of the BBC's set ready to play the explicit audio as soon as they called it.
Match of the Day host Lineker, meanwhile, took to Twitter to explain what had been causing the noises, writing: "Well, we found this taped to the back of the set. As sabotage goes it was quite amusing." Lineker was not the only person involved in the BBC's coverage of the match to find the incident funny.
Shearer, the all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League, joked that Murphy's phone had been the cause of the noise. The co-commentator said, "The floodlights going off, Danny Murphy's phone going off in the studio; what else can happen?"
Do you find the prank amusing or was it wholly inappropriate? Have your say in the comments!
The Newcastle legend's comments came after there were temporary floodlight issues at Molineux caused by a local power cut. Lineker, in a second tweet, highlighted the fact the incident had made eight topics related to the BBC's coverage of the match the trending subjects on Twitter. He wrote: "Nothing to moan about, I guess."
After the drama in the studio and the temporary power outage impacting the floodlights, there was a moment of magic early in the match as Harvey Elliott rifled Liverpool in front in the 13th minute from range. The Reds were far improved in the opening stages compared to their dismal 3-0 defeat by Brighton on Saturday, pressing intensely and forcing Wolves into errors.
The two teams required a replay after drawing 2-2 at Anfield in early January. Wolves felt aggrieved not to have progressed to the fourth round after what would have been a winning goal was ruled out for offside.
Replays suggested Toti Gomes' goal should have stood, but VAR was unable to make a decision due to the absence of a suitable camera angle.
