There’s worse people to interrupt your broadcast.
Big racing events are both a dream and a nightmare for intrepid reporters. On the one hand you’re surrounded by horses, glamour, frolics and copious amounts of booze, on the other…you’re surrounded by horses, glamour, frolics and copious amounts of booze.
Rarely is a successful report on the day’s runners and riders not accompanied by an impromptu and unwelcome cameo by someone spotting the television camera and wanting their 15 minutes of fame. It’s all harmless fun of course and it is seen as something of an occupational hazard.
But some interruptions are a little more regal than others. When Irish reporter Paul Walsh was in the middle of a bulletin for TV3 at the Cheltenham Racing Festival, he certainly wasn’t expecting Zara Phillips to casually walk by and bounce off him. But that’s pretty much what happened.
The look on Paul’s face when he realises who she is is priceless, and in fairness to Phillips, she did apologise. In case you didn’t know, she is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, an Olympian equestrian, and happens to be married to ex-rugby star Mike Tindall…
By Royal appointment! Here's our man on the ground @paulwalshtv3 getting interrupted by Zara Tindall! At least she said sorry… #Cheltenham pic.twitter.com/hveQprS5eV
— Virgin Media Television (@VirginMedia_TV) March 14, 2017
