Skip to main content

BBC News anchor mistakes pack of printer paper for iPad during live report

BULK IPAD BBC News presenter Simon McCoy mistakes printing paper for iPad FULL HQ
Newsrooms at the heart of rolling news channels are hectic places around the clock as reporters frantically gather information on breaking stories, or more often than not, frantically look for breaking news stories, or worse, run stale stories over and over again in a tone of voice best described as frantic.

For BBC News anchor Simon McCoy, it was most likely a frantic dash to camera that led to his rather amusing error on live television on Wednesday, for how else could you mistake a ream of printer paper for an iPad?bbc ipad

That’s right, McCoy was shown holding not an iPad but a pack of paper when he began a serious report on problem drinking. No, we don’t think he’d had one too many himself.

Instead of discreetly placing the paper to one side or holding it behind his back, McCoy courageously soldiered on as if nothing was wrong, no doubt well aware that by the time his report was through, a video of it would be up on YouTube (you can watch it below).

It’s hard not to marvel at his professional manner as he delivers the news item in a way that suggests he fully intended to take the pack of paper with him because of course he’ll be heading straight to the printer in a moment to print off his next report.

The incident garnered so much attention on social media sites that the BBC felt moved to issue a short statement later in the day, saying, “This morning as Simon McCoy was preparing to introduce this story, instead of picking up his tablet to hold as he went to air, he mistakenly picked up a ream of paper that was sitting next to it.

“In the rush of live news, he didn’t have an opportunity to swap the items, so simply went with it.”

[via Independent]

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Apple may announce new iPads next month. Here’s everything we expect
The yellow iPad (2022) lying face-down on a green bush.

When it comes to Apple, we expect a new product refresh annually at this point, including for the iPad. However, that didn't happen in 2023. In fact, 2023 was the first year that Apple didn't release a new iPad model at all, which means we haven’t had new iPad releases since 2022.

It’s unclear why we didn’t see any new iPads last year. However, that should also be an indicator that we can expect some big changes for the next generation of iPad models, which are rumored to come out this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has even said that we could see new iPads as early as March.

Read more
Apple’s new iPad Pro may not be as expensive as we feared
Two iPad Pro tablets next to each other against a black background. Both have Apple's Magic Keyboard case.

Apple didn’t release a new iPad last year, which means 2024 should be a banner year for the popular tablets. And now there's been word that the upcoming iPad Pro lineup, likely to include OLED for the first time, might not cost as much as we once feared.

According to a new report from DigiTimes, the upcoming iPad Pro models won’t see a dramatic price hike, as was suggested in December. Previously, it was reported that the 2024 11-inch iPad Pro would cost at least $1,500, while the next 12.9-inch model (which will have a larger 13-inch display) would start at $1,800. The current models start at $799 and $1,099, respectively.

Read more
New iPads are coming soon, and they may have a killer display upgrade
iPad Pro 2020 Screen.

It seems new iPads, rocking some notable tweaks, are right around the corner. In the latest edition of his PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says an updated lineup of iPad Pro models will likely arrive towards the end of March.
Now, these new flagship slates could turn out to be special for multiple reasons. The new iPad Pro tablets could get a refined design language and, of course, a shift to the latest-generation M3 processor that is already providing its firepower to a handful of Mac machines.

New iPads, new screens

Read more