Man responsible for 'greatest moment in BBC history' reveals what happened to him just week later
The BBC producer who unwittingly orchestrated one of the 'most memorable moments in TV history' has told how the epic blunder tanked his career at the broadcaster.
Elliott Gotkine, 50, is the man who mistakenly whisked a random bloke up to the famous studio for a live interview back in May 2006, while being completely unaware he had the wrong guy.
Technology journalist Guy Kewney was supposed to offer his expert opinion to viewers that day - but instead, a fella who was waiting for a job interview in reception was erroneously roped in to do it.
A bewildered Guy Goma comically tried to blag his way through the chat with presenter Karen Bowerman, although it was pretty evident that he didn't have a clue what he was supposed to be talking about.
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The then-38-year-old finance graduate was hoping to bag a job at the BBC, but ended up getting way more than he bargained for after Gotkine plonked him on the notorious red sofa.
The footage of this hilarious mix-up subsequently went viral and resulted in Goma landing a host of incredible opportunities - however, the same can't be said for Gotkine.
If you need a reminder of the amusing incident, take a look at this:
While Goma was being invited to appear on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and attending star-studded parties, Gotkine was coming to terms with the fact that his gaffe had 'killed his BBC career'.
The former producer has claimed that the error led to him being 'banned from going on air' by his bosses, before he was then 'banished to the naughty step of nights and planning', prompting him to search for another job and later leave the company.
Although Gotkine can now look back and laugh two decades on, he didn't find ruining his professional reputation that amusing at the time.
He had the responsibility of booking guests to appear on BBC News, arranging 'cars or satellite link-ups' for them and writing scripts as well as questions for the presenter.
Gotkine explained that he did briefly question whether he had the right man when he first greeted Goma in May 2006, but brushed off his concerns as they only had five minutes to spare before he was due on air.
Both blokes shared their recollection of the 20-year-old incident with The Telegraph and Goma humorously recalled how 'a young, stressed-looking man' approached him and 'started to run' up to the studio.
Long story short, Gotkine later twigged that he'd made a major slip-up in a 'blur of sweat and panic' after he was informed that Guy Kewney was still waiting for his call-up downstairs.
He decided to try and 'lay low' at work over the next few days, only to then be informed by the BBC Press Office that multiple UK news outlets were going to run stories about the fiasco.
The footage of Goma's interview was spreading like wildfire, while his face was also being plastered on the front pages of national newspapers. Gotkine said he was 'wishing it would stop', although he 'knew it wouldn't'.
"My only consolation is that no one has publicly outed me," he said, explaining that he continued to 'try to keep his head down' at work the following week.
"My colleagues are sympathetic, but they can’t stop watching the video of Guy," Gotkine said. "Sometimes four or five of them huddle around a monitor, howling with laughter."
"They seem indifferent to the fact that our manager sits opposite - and he is not amused," Gotkine said. "Outside work, I try to look on the bright side.
"I tell my closest friends it was me; sometimes I even allow them - and myself - to laugh at it. But I don’t want to worry my parents, so I don’t tell them."
Meanwhile, Goma was being booked for various appearances and further TV interviews - but while his career was thriving, Gotkine's was withering.
As he headed into work for his first time reporting since the mega mix-up, the journalist explained that his manager called him into an office for a chat to inform him 'there's no way he could go on air'.
Claiming he was also informed that 'bosses want to put a letter on your file', Gotkine said: "I struggle to hold back the tears. In the space of a year, I have gone from my dream job of South America correspondent, based in Buenos Aires, to the nightmare of being banned from going on air. I want the world to swallow me up."
Three months later, he claimed that he found himself at the bottom of the 'pecking order', which prompted him to start hunting for a new job. He said that despite applying for other roles at the BBC, he was 'rejected'.
Even after moving on from the broadcaster, 'Guy Goma's ghost continued to haunt him', as Gotkine's new colleagues were also aware of his epic mistake.
The award-winning journalist said that he has since 'learnt to embrace the debacle' after realising that 'everything happens for a reason'.
"For so many years, it was hard, painful even, to think what might have been…if I’d called down to the other reception area first, or if Guy hadn’t said he was the guy I was looking for," Gotkine added.
"Who knows, maybe I’d now be hosting the Today programme? With the passage of time, though, and as my career has bounced back, I’ve come to feel that everything happens for a reason.
"Now I get to embrace Guy Goma too, and I see that he answered all those questions about Apple that day because he didn’t want to embarrass anyone. He is a genuinely lovely man."
Both Gotkine and Goma have penned a book about the incident, titled The Wrong Guy: The Inside Story of TV’s Greatest Cock-up.
LADbible has contacted the BBC for comment.
Olivia Burke