I’ve covered World Cups, cup finals and been a regular on the flagship Match of the Day.
But my television appearances have never had a bigger reaction than Tuesday night.
We were pranked before the live Wolves-Liverpool FA Cup tie with pornographic noises coming from a phone that had been planted in our studio.
I’ve covered World Cups, cup finals and been a regular on the flagship Match of the Day (above) – but my television appearances have never had a bigger reaction than on Tuesday
When pornographic noises came from a phone inside the studio, it was massively distracting
I had more than a hundred text messages in the immediate aftermath, I’ve never had that many. You have to laugh at it but in other ways it’s a bit worrying so many people find that funny!
It was the most unusual show I’ve ever done and I have never had to work so hard at concentrating on my job.
It was funny at the start but after three or four minutes it became really distracting and I couldn’t focus on what we were meant to be doing – building up the game.
The prank – carried out by prankster Daniel Jarvis – caused me to receive 100 texts afterwards
I couldn’t hear the presenter Gary Lineker and he couldn’t hear me. When the cameras went off us, we could have a giggle, but every time we were back live the sounds would start again.
I know it sounds dramatic but all I could think of was trying to keep as professional as possible and not dissolve.
My trick was to inwardly think of people I really disliked so I wouldn’t smile at the wrong time. I won’t reveal who was on my list but for once they came to my rescue!