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ABC apologises after Shaun Micallef brands them 'idiots'
The ABC has apologised to a ‘mad as hell’ Shaun Micallef after an embarrassing mix-up saw an old episode of his weekly show, Mad as Hell, air last night instead of this weeks new episode.
The irate comedian did not mince words when he, and fans, noticed the blunder.
“They're playing the wrong one. #idiots #madashelltv,” he tweeted.
Despite the withering public comment, Micallef got his apology two-fold today, once in writing and once face-to-face.
The ABC apologised to the viewers via a rolling message at the bottom of the screen, but they didn’t stop there.
It may have something to do with the fact that the comedian is also celebrating his 57th birthday, but while appearing on 7:30 he got a further apology over the mishap, though this one was slightly less by the book.
Host Leigh Sales used the apology as an opportunity to poke a bit of fun at Shaun.
As she was introducing him and the segment, images of George Clooney and finance minister Mathias Cormann popped up ‘by accident’.
“Not sure why it’s that hard for us to put up the correct thing for one of the network’s major stars. I do apologise,” Sales quipped, before they managed to find the ‘right’ photo.
A Twitter-storm response
The pair laughed and joked about the incident, despite Micallef sparking an outpouring of jokes and commentary at the broadcaster’s expense last night.
ABC News Breakfast presenter Michael Rowland joined Shaun’s pile on, saying: “I’m reliably informed the correct episode of @BreakfastNews will air tomorrow morning.”
While 7.30 comedian Mark Humphries offered: “I regret to inform you that the correct episode of Young Sheldon aired tonight”.
Here are some other choice Tweets that kept viewers entertained in the absence of their show:
I know we're (allegedly) a bit slow in SA, 30 minutes in this case, but isn't this last week's #madashell ?
— Andrew Faulkner (@AndrewFaulkner9) July 17, 2019
#madashell looks like the work of the AFP - holding tonight’s program hostage.
— Lee Duncan (@bacilee2) July 17, 2019
@ABCaustralia I heard someone messed up with the BetaCord for #MadAsHell this week. If you're hiring, I've got an Advance Diploma in tv Broadcast and knowledge on how to use a BetaCord. My Dm's are open.
— Ash (@Deoxy360) July 17, 2019
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