A very NSFW hashtag about Tony Abbott is trending after it was aired on live TV

While the UK was asleep last night, Australian prime minister Tony Abott was the butt of a joke broadcast on national television.

Q and A or 'Quanda', as it is known, is the Australian equivalent of Question Time, which invites audience members and people watching at home to quiz politicians and others in the public eye on the issues of the day.

One viewer's tweeted comment made it on to the show - but producers failed to notice the rather controversial identifying handle @AbottLovesAnal, which appeared at the bottom of the screen while a political commentator was speaking.

The Twitterati, of course, had a field day. By Tuesday morning '#AbbottLovesAnal' was the number one trending topic in the country.

Gregg Schurch, the man behind the @AbottLovesAnal handle, had a message for his new found allies before signing off for the night:

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said in a statement that broadcasting the Twitter handle in question was a mistake caused by the high volume of tweets generated during the show and it "regrets any offence it may have caused." The managing director has also apologised to the prime minister in a text message.

Overall: well done, Australia.

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