In an attempt to stay cool as Britain battles sweltering weather, a senior BBC reporter was seen on camera during a live news broadcast wearing shorts with his suit jacket and shirt.
Enda McClafferty, the political editor for BBC Northern Ireland, wore a dapper blue suit jacket, shirt, and tie, but his audience was unaware that he was wearing chino shorts when he wasn’t in the picture.
This week, the UK province has seen high 20C temperatures, and the Met Office has issued a warning that today’s high might reach official heatwave thresholds.
A footage of Mr. McClafferty on TV wearing a suit jacket and shirt was uploaded by a keen local.
Then the householder dashed outdoors and saw the reporter standing directly in front of him just down the street.
Too hot for the complete outfit, the large guy is wearing shorts, said the description of the brief video.
Since then, the video has received thousands of shares on Twitter and Instagram and tens of thousands of views on each.
Social media users couldn’t stop laughing as one posted: “I agree with @endamcclafferty #ElScorchio,” making fun of a Fast Show joke about international weather reports.
One more said: “Too correct. These people who work from home have been getting away with wearing a shirt, tie, and pyjamas together for more than two years. It’s time to do some bookkeeping.
After the event, Mr. McClafferty acknowledged that a lesson had been learnt.
He admitted to the Good Morning Ulster programme on BBC Northern Ireland that his secret was now public knowledge.
The last week has been quite warm, so I reasoned that I could get away with wearing a suit on the upper part and a pair of shorts on the bottom.
I had no idea that a nearby resident with keen eyesight and a camera phone had hurried outside, grabbed a picture of the television, then swiftly panned outside and captured me standing in my chino shorts. Lesson discovered.
Under the desk last summer, BBC anchorman Shaun Ley was reading a sombre news report while donning shorts and deck shoes.
He explained the travel policies of Covid and the unrest in the Middle East with a grave expression on his face.
However, one Twitter user made fun of Shaun Ley by asking: “Is he keeping himself cool by wearing shorts?”
“And if so, were viewers intended to learn?”
When the guests turned to him to discuss the important matters of the day, they looked to be repressing laughing as they were reading the newspapers.