Technical glitch exposes BBC’s real Olympic set – and it’s very different to what viewers see

‘They are not in Tokyo?!’ exclaimed one fan

A technical glitch during Saturday’s Tokyo Olympics coverage (7 August) revealed the BBC’s real set, which looks very different to what viewers have been seeing over the past fortnight.

During an edition of Olympic Breakfast, a blip that only lasted a couple of seconds showed that the presenters are not, in fact, sitting in front of the Tokyo skyline.

They are actually surrounded by a green screen, with Alex Scott, Clare Balding, Dan Walker and Sam Quek working from a BBC Sport studio in Salford.

Walker has been tweeting pictures of the green screen over the past two weeks, and on Friday (6 August) he posted about Quek having to change one of her outfits because her top was messing up the virtual background.

Reacting to the technical glitch on Saturday, journalist Scott Bryan tweeted: “THE GLITCH IN THE MATRIX.”

Another viewer wrote: “What?! They are not in Tokyo?! @BBCSport LOL.”

As the Tokyo Olympics comes to an end, the 16th and final day of the Games has not been without its drama. With two late golds, Team GB have now equalled their medal tally of 65 from the home Games of London 2012, and the USA have overtaken China at the top of the table.