Man mistaken for IT expert in iconic interview makes BBC return after threatening to sue them

Sometimes you’ll just find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. But rarely does that mean you end up being broadcasted on national TV and living a life of viral fame.

And that’s exactly what happened to Guy Goma, who was mistaken for an IT expert back in 2006.

He’d walked into the BBC offices for a job interview but was mixed up with an IT journalist, Guy Kewney, by staff and ended up being interviewed on BBC News 24.

Having sat on air and been quizzed about a legal battle going on with Apple – something he had no clue about – Goma’s surreal situation has amassed millions of views across social media over the years.

And recently claiming to have not received any royalties from the BBC because of the viral mix-up, the bloke said he was going to sue them.

BBC

Speaking on the podcast series DASH Water’s Accidental Celebrities, Goma says he is going to take the BBC to court because of the 'money they made from [the interview]'.

He went on to say he has since contacted the corporation, but it failed to get back in touch with him.

The podcast hosts said Goma’s lack of compensation was ‘incredibly unfair’, especially when you consider just how many views the interview has had over the years.

The viral star added: "They have been using it for nearly 20 years with no penny to me.

"When I see that they are paying people millions here and there, that clip made them richer."

However, Goma has now made an iconic BBC return in a hilarious trailer for Have I Got News For You.

The beginning shows an old image from the original interview with the headline: “Man wrongly interviewed live on air in 2006 to sue BBC over royalties.”

Goma then appears on the panel and opens with: “Good evening and welcome to Have I Got News For You, I am Victoria Coren Mitchell.”

He then appears in other seats on the panel, comically wearing different outfits as host-Goma says: “You are smart, and you’ve got a nice shirt… I hope the BBC is going to pay for this one now.”

Ending the trailer, he hops into a London black cab where the driver says: “Ere, aren’t you that bloke off the telly?

“Blimey, wait till I tell me mates I’ve had Gary Lineker in the back of the cab.”

That’s one way to claim back your viral fame. Good on him.

BBC declined to comment.

Topics: BBC, TV and Film, Viral

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_