THE BBC has apologised for playing a song with the lyrics “Oh, what a night” in the background of a report about Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
A technical slip-up on Sunday’s Radio 2 5pm news slot left listeners shocked as they heard the intro to Ladies Night by Kool & the Gang.
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The intro goes: “Oh yes it’s ladies night and the feeling’s right – oh yes it’s ladies night, oh what a night, oh what a night!”
It played in the background as IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner slammed Iran’s missile blitz.
The BBC was forced to apologise for the mistake, which happened just before Judi Love came on to cover for Rob Beckett.
One complaint said: “Is it amateur hour at the BBC?”
A listener said: “I just thought, ‘wow, someone must be having a wind-up here’.
“I was gobsmacked, I couldn’t believe they could have played that.
“Surely, at a time when everyone is fearing World War 3, we didn’t need to hear that.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The introduction of the first song to be played on Judi Love’s show was played within a part of the Radio 2 news bulletin at 5pm by mistake.
“We apologise for the error.”
Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel overnight in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus.
Almost all of the projectiles were stopped by Israel’s air defences, with help from the RAF and US Air Force.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron slammed the Iranian attack – but said Israel should “de-escalate” tensions.
He told the BBC’s Today Programme: “We have win the argument in the broader global environment about who is really the aggressor.
“But we also have to make sure we try and de-escalate the situation so there isn’t further loss of life and suffering.”