Guy Goma has been involved in another blunder over two decades after he was mistaken for an IT expert and interviewed live on BBC News.
Goma, who became a viral sensation in 2006 when he unwittingly found himself being grilled live on air despite only showing up to the offices for a job interview, is in the hot seat as host in a hilarious new trailer announcing the new series of Have I Got News For You.
Looking quizzically at the autocue in a video shared on social media, he teases: ‘Good evening and welcome to Have I Got News For You. I am… Victoria Coren Mitchell?’
It then turns out Goma is also filling in alongside team captain Ian Hislop as three of the four panelists, as he tells himself: ‘You are smart, and you’ve got a nice shirt.’
‘Thank you,’ he replies, before the host version of himself quips: ‘I hope the BBC is going to pay for this one now.’
Ian jokes: ‘I’m pretty terrified, aren’t you?’
The show’s account captioned the video: ‘It appears there’s been a bit of a mix-up with our guest host… #HIGNFY returns Friday 6th October – 9pm on BBC One.’
It’s hard to think that 17 years ago, Guy Goma was waiting in the BBC Television Centre’s reception area, while genuine IT specialist Guy Kewney was waiting in another room to be escorted to the studios.
When Goma’s name was called, he assumed it was for a job interview, but minutes later his face was being broadcast to televisions all over the world, and despite having no knowledge of IT, he tried to power through a discussion with presenter Karen Bowerman about a legal battle between Apple Computers and the Apple Corps record label.
Of course, the scared uninvited guest was completely stupid, albeit he did predict that music would be released only online – and while vinyl and even cassettes have seen a revival in popularity, he was largely correct.
Goma became one of the most known faces in the UK, but in August he revealed that he had not received any royalties from the BBC, despite the fact that the YouTube video alone had over 5 million views.
He recently stated that he wanted to sue the BBC for a portion of the “money they made from the interview.”
‘They have been using it for nearly 20 years with no penny to me’ he told hosts of DASH Water’s Accidental Celebrities podcast Josh Pieters and Archie Manners.
Have I Got News for Youre returns to BBC One 9pm Friday 6th October
