Top 10 Funniest Moments Caught on Live TV

It’s pretty common knowledge that Australia is home to plenty of giant and exotic creatures, but this one really takes the biscuit! Imagine you’re sitting at home watching “Nine News Melbourne” being presented by Peter Hitchener and… a giant avian overlord appears on screen. Ok, it’s fairly evident what happened; a nosey seagull started poking his beak around the station's live cam that views the local area. But for a wonderful moment, the image of an unwitting Hitchener reading some rather serious news as a mammoth gull watches over him graces the screen. You could say that this funny situation flew right over the Anchor’s head… Luckily, he didn’t have to wing it, since he didn’t turn around and sea-gull… Ok, we’ll stop.

For subscribers outside of the UK, you may not know who Alison Hammond is. But a quick google of this ever-popular TV presenter will give you moments of hilarity that you’ll never forget. Such as when she got stuck in a door, or nearly got arrested for filming without permit—both on live TV. Or there’s the interview that managed to get notorious grump Harrison Ford to laugh on camera just through her irreverent interview technique. Our pick for this list? When she knocked a man from a floating weather report platform, straight into the canal. Again, outside the UK, you may have questions about this… but let’s just appreciate the schadenfreude.

Everyone knows that having a dog present in any workplace makes the whole environment better. No one can demonstrate this more than “Global News’” Mike Sobel. In collaboration with the Edmonton Humane Society, Sobel brought a particularly rambunctious one-year-old Shepherd-Mastiff on set with him to promote the station's “Adopt a Pet” segment. Ripple, who’s name is apt considering the effect on the show, had no interest in Sobel’s work preferring to wrestle him instead of letting the weather reporter do his job. Yet, Sobel carried on regardless. We’ve no idea what the weather was that day, but watching Sobel trying to present it was hilarious. By the way, Ripple was adopted based off this event too, so it’s a win all round.

Let’s face it, who doesn’t love working from home? Ok, it’s not all glamorous, but admit it, we’re all guilty of forgetting to bother...except for during work zoom meetings. You’d think that if you worked in TV that this may be the first thing to remember, but clearly this reporter wasn’t willing to sacrifice all of his comfort when working from home. Will Reeve, son of the legendary Christopher Reeve, took the idea of being “half dressed” literally when appearing on a poorly positioned camera and reporting from home. Dressed from head to waist in a suit, but waist to floor in just pants, Reeve didn’t think this through... Seriously, though… no one told him?

Never was there a truer word spoken, nor a phrase so eloquently uttered than that which Brad Wills bequeathed upon this world whence he encountered a bug during a live broadcast. We’ve been trying for quite some time and there’s just not enough vowels in the English language to define Will’s reaction when reporting live for “Fox 5” in San Diego. In fairness to the newscaster, that creature was humongous. Even if the camera does add 10lbs, based on its size, we wouldn’t want whatever it was flying at us either. So he has our sympathies in that regard, but hearing him yell in panicked tongues made for multiple viewings before the laughter stopped and the memes started.

Love him or hate him, Tucker Carlson is a pillar of the Fox Network. He’s been in dunk tanks, dances and the land of nod during his tenure there. Yep, you heard that right--Tucker Carlson has been caught snoozing on the job. During a live broadcast of “Fox and Friends” in 2013, Carlson fell asleep as the show went to an ad break. Upon returning, viewers got to see his amused co-hosts wondering how to subtly wake him up. As it happens, he did so anyway, believing the show was still off the air. Have to give credit to him though, he laughed it off. We can only imagine what he was dreaming about… then again, we’d rather not.

From someone having no energy, to someone having it in abundance—this entry shows to never trust anyone who is getting a little too close to a live report. Especially the children, as they can very easily steal the focus in a heartbeat. Or even an imaginary beat. Akira Gordon did just that to Mary Ann Hearn when reporting live from the streets of Chicago in 2013. Celebrating the school holidays, she danced her way into the shot and boogied on through. Of course, it very quickly became a Vine (remember those?) and then a meme, before going viral. A few days later, Hearn followed it up and tracked the little girl down, convincing her to show off her moves once more.

From smooth dancing to accidental gymnastics, this list is covering all forms of movement! Except this one comes with a smidgeon of a warning to not try it at home, since it looks like it was rather painful. Remember when ragdoll physics became a staple of video games? I think we have found the inspiration and his name is Rob Leth. Covering a toboggan race (during what we assume was a slow news day,) Leth was drafted in to time two tube racers on air. Unfortunately, the lack of steering was very obvious as a collision sent Leth up into the air, flipping 420 degrees and back down again. Somehow, the self-professed “hater of snow tubes” managed to finish the segment.

On May 8th 2006, the BBC—quite literally—interviewed the wrong Guy. Seriously, the international news institution sent a producer to their reception, to pick up a man named Guy so that he could be interviewed about downloading music, and came back with the wrong Guy. As in, a different man altogether who is also called Guy. Aside from the fact that intended interviewee Guy Kewney was older, established and caucasian, somebody mistook him for Guy Goma—who isn’t any of that—and was at the BBC for a job interview before putting him in front of the camera instead. Goma, realising after 3 seconds actually runs with it, and gives a brilliant interview despite being—altogether now—the wrong Guy. You’d be forgiven for believing it was a farce.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Something Is Fishy Here
After Carley Gordon Is Spooked by a Silver Carp, Did No One Think to Cut Away?

Going to the Poles
So Desperate for an Answer That Kent Molgat Didn’t Look Up.

Karl Dall Watches a Fall
Legendary German Comedian Could Only Watch As Co-Star Fell Into the Blue Bayou.

Despite being absent for the rest of the list, the BBC have taken both top spots of this list. Whoever said the British sense of humour was obscure! Actually, this effort is more global as it was American Professor Robert Kelly’s interview regarding Korean politics (we think, since we couldn’t hear for laughter) that made for hilarious live television. In a scene straight from a slapstick comedy, this serious interview is gatecrashed first by his four-year-old daughter sassily marching in, followed by his toddler son in his baby walker and then his panicking wife dragging them out. The whole clip is comedy gold without intending to be, and the family have been interviewed as a unit since—during which, the daughter has continued to upstage the father.