Etc...

Hey, fella, want to be on TV?

Once again, there are red faces at the BBC - this time over a broadcast interview in which a studio guest was asked his reaction to a decision last week by Britain's High Court. The judges had ruled against Apple Corps, which represents the commercial interests of the Beatles, in a lawsuit against Apple Computer Inc. "Were you surprised by this verdict?" a business reporter asked. "I'm very surprised to see the verdict ... because I was not expecting that," the guest replied. He spoke a bit haltingly but went on to offer his view on one of the issues in the case: the future of music downloads via the Internet . More or less what you'd expect, right? Ah, but whereas the interviewee was introduced as British computer expert Guy Kewney, he turned out instead to be a taxi driver with a French accent. Meanwhile, Kewney, the intended guest, watched in disbelief on a TV monitor in the reception area, where he'd been awaiting a summons to the studio that never came. What concerned him most, he said, was that his reputation might take a hit because viewers would think he didn't know his subject well. The BBC apologized for "any confusion." But it didn't explain how the mix-up could have occurred, since the two men are of different racial backgrounds and its producers had seen a photo of Kewney in advance.