The INSIDER Summary:
- The BBC interviewed professor Robert Kelly about the North and South Korea relationship.
- His two children burst into the interview and stole the show.
- The moment became a viral meme.
It was meant to be a serious interview about the impeachment of South Korea's president, Park Geun-hye, and the future of the country's relationship with North Korea.
But it soon descended into chaos when Robert E. Kelly, a professor of political science who Skyped in from the South Korean city of Busan, was interrupted by children in uproarious fashion.
Kelly's daughter waltzed into the room, arms akimbo, while Kelly carried on with the interview. As he apologized to the BBC anchor and tried to signal to his daughter to leave, another one of his children, on a mobile high chair, hopped his or her way into the room.
A few seconds later, a woman rushed into the room and collected them while Kelly carried on with the interview.
The incident happened live on BBC World News on Friday morning — and the memorable moment was originally tweeted by the channel's producer Julia Macfarlane.
"When the kids interrupt you in the middle of live TV... A lovely moment and masterfully handled by our guest this morning on South Korea," she said in a message which has since been deleted.
It was a moment that immedialy became viral. The self-confidence of his daughter entering the room, the impressive skill of his infant child somehow getting into the room despite not being able to walk, and Kelly's mastery of the situation as a whole make for gripping television.
Kelly, though, didn't seem to notice that he had a viral moment on his hands. He seemed confused when a BBC employee asked if he could re-broadcast the clip.
@David_Waddell What would that mean, please? Re-broadcasting it on BBC TV, or just here on Twitter? Is this kinda thing that goes 'viral' and gets weird?
— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) March 10, 2017The moment immediately became a meme.
Coming into the office on a Friday like pic.twitter.com/MCpmOvDEU2
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) March 10, 2017
I need a GIF of the kid marching into the BBC interview like she owns the joint STAT
— Caitlin Kelly (@caitlin__kelly) March 10, 2017
BBC interview is the greatest TV moment of all time. When the mother/nanny comes rushing it's like something from "A Night At The Opera".
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) March 10, 2017
Finally got the kids playing happily. Time to do my Skype interview with BBC News.
— James Martin (@Pundamentalism) March 10, 2017
There was also that time my 4-yr old was playing with my phone and accidentally Facetimed a former member of the Sinaloa cartel.
— Patrick Radden Keefe (@praddenkeefe) March 10, 2017
Enter every room like the kid who interrupts the BBC Skype interview.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) March 10, 2017Hopefully, Kelly will feature his kids in interviews more often. They definitely have a future in television.
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