Video: What was he winking?

The moment Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott winked during a serious radio phone-in (ABC News (Australia))

Oh no, it's happened again - another politician has embarrassed themselves in front of a camera. Although not because they couldn't answer a simple question, but because they didn't even realise it was there.

Australian PM Tony Abbott is the latest to be caught unawares. As it turns out, he's not just the country's leader, but an a bit of a winker too.

During a guest slot on 774 ABC, an elderly woman by the name of Gloria phoned in. What happens next is damning stuff.

Tony seems to be listening attentively, until Gloria mentions how she has become a sex line worker to make ends meet. Then there it is - "the wink that sparked a thousand tweets" is what local media are calling it.

Tony gives his host a big cheeky one, clearly unaware that the camera is rolling.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time for the Aussie PM. Today reports have also surfaced that his daughter was given a £60,000 scholarship at a university where one of his donors chairs the board of governors.

Poor guy. Like a shrimp on a barbie, he's really in for a grilling now. But he's not alone. There are plenty of others who have fallen foul of an unnoticed camera or microphone. And not just politicians, but TV presenters and football commentators too.

What a bunch of tw...wait, is this still on?

Gordon Brown

It was the encounter that defined his campaign. After bumping into an elderly woman called Gillian Duffy, who pressed him on immigration, Brown was escorted back into his car. Here, he told an aide that the woman was "a bigot". Unbeknownst to him, his TV microphone was still on. Oops.

And then it happened again, although this time, it was a camera that caught him out. Guess what happened next? That's right - he lost.

Jeremy Clarkson

Who would have thought you could lose your job over a nursery rhyme? Oh wait, this one turned out to be racist. That makes sense.

Richard Keys

This wasn't what cost Martin Keys his job - that was another moment caught on camera without him knowing. It's not just the misogyny that is stunning, but the casualness of it all. “Did you smash it?” he asks (“it being a female acquaintance of Jamie Redknapp's). Keys is met with an awkward silence, yet still persists. ”Go round Redknapp's house any night of the week and you'd find him hanging out the back of it.“ What a winker.

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