BBC Breakfast presenters fall for April Fool's Day joke live on air

'Why did we not get that earlier?'

BBC television presenters fell for a newspaper’s April Fool’s Day joke and read it out as part of their press review.

The Observer ran a story for April 1 saying a company was launching Brexit emojis for users to express how they felt about leaving the EU.

A pro-Brexit emoji printed by the paper featured a British bulldog, and an emoji signifying a pro-Remain stance involved a blue blob with yellow stars for eyes.

BBC Breakfast presenters Roger Johnson and Babita Sharma fell for the joke, with Ms Sharma holding the page up to the camera, saying it was a “great story”.

The spoof news story said an Italian firm based in Gibraltar was developing the emojis.

The Observer mocked up the spoof emojis that fooled BBC Breakfast

It added that ministers might impose a post-Brexit tariff on emojis.

Several minutes after the papers review had finished, Mr Johnson was forced to confess on air that viewers had spotted that the story was made up. The Observer had used the byline Scherzo Primavera – Italian for “spring joke”.

“Why did we not get that earlier?” asked Ms Sharma.