BBC News presenter left red-faced as she's caught on phone in major blunder

A BBC News presenter seemingly unaware she was on air was caught scrolling on her phone in a major technical blunder this afternoon. Annita McVeigh didn't realise she was live on TV during the lunchtime bulletin and used her phone during what she thought was a commercial break. But the camera was actually pointing at the journalist, who picked her phone up and scrolled through it for a while before placing it under some papers.

The video shows Annita talking to some colleagues, who also appeared unaware that the livestream had started. Once the team realised the blunder, the top stories began as the presenter seemed to brush the incident off and started presenting the bulletin. Viewers noticed the blunder and shared the clip, with no sound, on X, formerly called Twitter .



TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan wrote: "The moment Annita started checking her phone was when I started panicking." Annita returned to our screens in March after she was taken off air for a whole year when BBC bosses decided to merge its news channels. To celebrate her return, the journalist posted a picture of herself in the studio and wrote: ".

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and I'm back. In Studio C with #NewsNow until 1500GMT - so good to be bringing you the news again." One fan replied to Annita's post saying: "So good to see you back, it's like you've never been away.

" Another said: "So pleased to see you back @AnnitaBBC, I have really missed you. At long last an experienced newsreader." A third fan commented: "Congratulations on your return to BBC News.

It was a travesty that you had to reapply for your position." And a fourth added: "Wonderful news Annita. Welcome back.

" Earlier this year, BBC News presenter Reeta Chakrabarti was left with no choice but to apologise to viewers after a technical blunder interrupted her news bulletin . The sound rang over the beginning of Friday night's News at 10 programme but was so loud it made viewers jump out of shock. But forever the professional, Reeta, 59, continued to present the news programme.

However, as soon as it came to a close, she addressed the major blunder. Speaking directly to viewers, she said: "And to just to say that some of our viewers may have heard audio interference at the start of our programme tonight. Apologies for that.

" However, viewers were not impressed and took to X, also known as Twitter to voice their concerns. One viewer said: "Hell of a siren sound on BBC One just now." A second person wrote: "BBC news app just made me jump out of my skin with the notification noise coming through my headphones.

" "When are viewers and licence payers going to get an apology and explanation for the weird noise just before the beginning of the News at Ten? Why no on-screen message yet," raged a third. Meanwhile a fourth penned: "What was that weird noise on BBC One, started just before @bbcnews at 10PM & continued for a bit into the news? It sounded like an alarm: heard it on usual over-air broadcast & live iPlayer ." Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

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