Longstanding BBC presenter Clive Myrie has revealed that he once compared the broadcaster to a "grotty tabloid" and almost "messed up" his job interview at the beginning of his career. The 61-year-old first joined the BBC in 1987 and has since become a well-recognised newsreader and the channel's chief news presenter and correspondent.

Myrie also currently hosts the long-running Mastermind and its star-studded spin-off, Celebrity Mastermind. The journalist revealed that during the interview process, he was asked what question he would pose to former cricketer Ian Botham. At the time, the star was embroiled in controversy and eventually dropped from the England squad over his cannabis smoking admission. Speaking to The Times, Myrie confessed he almost didn't get the job because of his love for the athlete, telling the bosses: "Well, I personally don’t think it’s a story."

The broadcaster recalled: "The BBC guy leans forward and says: 'Excuse me? It’s everywhere.' I thought: 'Oops, I’ve messed up.'

"So I said, right off the top of my head: 'I’m sorry, but I thought I was trying to join the BBC, not some grotty tabloid in Fleet Street.' They all burst out laughing, and I got the job by a whisker."

Myrie of his appreciation for Botham, saying: "I grew up in a West Indian household. I love cricket, particularly the West Indies. Sorry, Norman Tebbit, I failed the cricket test, but I loved Ian Botham.

"He played like a West Indian, and his mates were West Indian — Viv Richards, Joel Garner.

"This was a white guy in a prominent position who had black friends, who defended black people, and to me, he was a black guy."

In 2024, Myrie was forced to apologise after raking in at least £145,000 and claimed he had not filled out the correct paperwork due to "administrative issues".

With declarations going back to 2021, the presenter wrote: "An apology – I’ve had several administrative issues, and I didn’t fill out the correct paperwork for some of my external public events, so they haven’t been published until now.

"I’ve told the BBC I won't be taking part in any more paid external events in the foreseeable future, beyond a handful of pre-existing commitments, so that this doesn’t happen again. My sincere apologies."