New media mix-up: BBC newsreader Simon McCoy mistakes photocopier paper for iPad

BBC newsreader Simon McCoy (BBC)

BBC news presenter Simon McCoy left viewers baffled today when he presented a report while carrying a stack of photocopier paper - after mistaking it for an iPad.

The 51-year-old broadcaster was doing a piece to camera from the corporation's newsroom about "drunk tanks" with the refill pack of A4 paper clearly visible in his hands.

Viewers saw McCoy holding the packet in a full-length shot as he hosted the item live on the rollling BBC News channel without any explanation. But the BBC later said he had picked it up by mistake.

A spokeswoman for BBC News explained: "This morning as Simon McCoy was preparing to introduce this story, instead of picking up his tablet to hold as he went to air, he mistakenly picked up a ream of paper that was sitting next to it.

"In the rush of live news, he didn't have an opportunity to swap the items, so simply went with it."

In the past the presenter has been seen briefly resting his head on the desk when cameras cut to him.

PA