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BBC used old Boris Johnson Remembrance Day footage

The BBC used old footage when broadcasting a clip of Boris Johnson laying a wreath for Remembrance Day last month.

The mistake happened because of a “production error” which led to the BBC using a 2016 clip of Johnson, when he was foreign secretary, instead of a 2019 clip of Johnson, who is prime minister.

In a Nov. 11 tweet, the BBC Breakfast account apologized for the mistake, writing: “This morning on the programme we incorrectly used footage from a Remembrance Day service that was not filmed yesterday. This was a production mistake and we apologise for the error.”

BBC Breakfast editor Richard Frediani explained archive footage had been restored as part of the preview for Remembrance Day. “To explain the production error on @BBCBreakfast, the footage of Remembrance Sunday 2016 was among archive restored at 0403am on Sunday to preview the service. It was used in error today. Claims it was combined with 2019 footage this morning are wholly incorrect,” Freidani tweeted.

According to the Press Gazette, the BBC received about than 2,000 complaints about the error.

A BBC spokesperson told iMediaEthics by e-mail, “This was a production mistake and we apologise for the error.”