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Brown's 'bigot' mishap and other off-guard gaffes

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 28 April 2010

When Gordon Brown was caught off guard today, describing a voter as a bigot', he joined a list of gaffe-prone public figures. Channel 4 News takes a look at some previous off-mike howlers.

Gordon Brown is caught off guard by a microphone calling this voter a bigot (Reuters)

Major mistake
John Major's leadership plunged into crisis in 1993 after claims that he called three Eurosceptic colleagues 'bastards' while the cameras were still rolling after an interview with ITN's political editor Michael Brunson.

Press-cut
John Prescott once simply gave up on a BBC interview, asking if he could start again because he had 'made that crap'. 'We're live, Mr Prescott,' came the response.


Extermination policy
Sky News was forced to apologise after a presenter joked that the Conservatives' immigration policy was "extermination". Julie Etchingham's aide was accidently on air during coverage of David Cameron's speech in 2007.

Ungodly
Reverend Jesse Jackson sparked outrage among African Americans in 2008 when he accused the then Presidential candidate Barack Obama of "talking down to black people". Rev Jackson did not realise he was being recorded as he added: "I want to cut his nuts off".


Race match
ITV football pundit Ron Atkinson resigned in 2004 after his racist comments about Chelsea player Marcel Desailly were broadcast globally during a post-match analysis of the Monaco v Chelsea Champions League semi-final first leg match.

Bushwhacked
George W Bush's microphone at an Illinois rally in 2000 picked him up saying 'There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from New York Times'.

Yo Blair!
George W Bush and Tony Blair were caught off guard at a G8 summit in 2006. "Yo Blair. How are you doing?" Bush says, before the two discuss efforts to end Syrian attacks on Israel by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. "See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over", Bush says.


Monkey boy
Prince Charles was caught out by microphones in Klosters in 2005 complaining that he had to parade in front of the media "like a performing monkey". He also refused to apologise after referring to the BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell as "that awful man".

Cherie Liar?
Cherie Blair denied reports in 2006 that she called Gordon Brown a liar as he praised her husband in a party conference speech. A Bloomberg reporter stood by her story that she overheard Mrs Blair say "well that's a lie" as she watched Brown's remarks on TV.

Tongue-tied
In 1995 Republican House majority leader Dick Armey called openly gay Congressman Barney Frank "Barney Fag" during a  radio show interview, but later said it was a slip of the tongue.

Let's bomb Russia
On live radio in 1984, US President Ronald Reagan - thinking he was off-air - quipped: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes".

 

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