x
Conrad Duncan
Mar 25, 2021
People are sharing their favourite Simon McCoy clips on social media after the veteran newsreader revealed he would be stepping down from BBC News after nearly 18 years and joining new channel GB News.
The presenter has become known in recent years for his idiosyncratic and often brutally honest takes on the day’s events and his habit of breaking into laughter live on air.
McCoy confirmed his departure from the Beeb on Thursday morning by responding to a post from one of his colleagues:
Thank you https://t.co/1wQhR3T7P7— Simon McCoy (@Simon McCoy) 1616660187
Later, in a turn of events which surprised some, Andrew Neil’s GB News tweeted to announce that McCoy would be joining the channel to host an afternoon programme.
The announcement soon sparked an outpouring of love for the broadcaster, who has consistently managed to brighten up a frankly dire few years of news.
From corpsing on camera to forgetting his cues, here are some of our favourite moments from the TV legend:
Read more:
- TikTok user’s bikini pic accidentally features an X-rated optical illusion
- White headmaster forces black student to apologise the ‘African way’
- Uber passenger who coughed on driver faces up to 16 years in jail
- People are hijacking the Joe Biden fall hashtag to make an important point
His general disinterest in the Royal Family
One of the reasons why McCoy is so beloved as a broadcaster is he has never pretended to care about news on the Royal Family.
He wasn’t impressed by updates on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby, or Pippa Middleton’s baby, or the cancellation of the Queen’s garden parties… much to the delight of some viewers:
As @BBCSimonMcCoy has said he is leaving BBC News, here is a thread of his best bits. Starting with this iconic R… https://t.co/7iXfBB3yDz— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1616663914
oh my god @BBCSimonMcCoy just announced that Pippa Middleton had given birth and it was PEAK SIMON MCCOY https://t.co/1LSotCJpQV— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1539703057
Breaking News: The Queen has cancelled her garden parties. @BBCSimonMcCoy: “Quick line of breaking news that might… https://t.co/0sxI3IPg4Q— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1609855151
When he had to report on the World Dog Surfing Championships
Most newsreaders are able to hide their true feelings about the news stories they report on but McCoy has never been particularly good at hiding his disappointment at the more trivial stories he’s had to cover.
And when he was forced to report on the World Dog Surfing Championships, his despair was clear to everyone...
.@BBCSimonMcCoy providing all the enthusiasm this story about surfing dogs deserves. https://t.co/FsG8TOj5iF— Chris Gray (@Chris Gray) 1502118448
When he ended up on the wrong side of the studio
McCoy’s nonchalant approach to the news has sometimes got him into trouble - like when he somehow managed to end up on the wrong side of the BBC News studio for the channel’s 4pm broadcast.
It’s unclear exactly who was at fault for the mishap but the scene of the camera staring at an empty chair before sheepishly panning over to McCoy on the other side of the room was TV gold...
Oh no not again. https://t.co/IkiOBkePqe— Richard Morris (@Richard Morris) 1560783890
His deadpan response to Boris Johnson building model buses
When Boris Johnson revealed that he likes to paint model buses during his spare time, McCoy offered a dry response which quickly went viral on social media.
No prizes for guessing which famous bus he was referring to…
SIMON McCOY - NATIONAL TREASURE CHAPTER 482 On Boris Johnson’s painting buses. @BBCSimonMcCoy https://t.co/EMV1kQ9ALp— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1561470970
When he couldn’t stop laughing during a segment on ‘goat yoga’
Even seasoned professionals sometimes find it hard to keep it together on camera, as McCoy showed during a segment all about goats in 2019:
🐐Here's something to make you laugh on a Monday afternoon.... 🐐 😂@BBCSimonMcCoy https://t.co/4ODgsZE0dG— BBC Weather (@BBC Weather) 1563202266
When he appeared on air carrying a stack of paper
In a blunder that left viewers baffled, McCoy opened one of his news reports carrying a stack of photocopier paper after mistaking it for an iPad.
Instead of acknowledging the mistake, the broadcaster decided to improvise and continue the report as if nothing had happened - creating another classic TV moment:
His recap of the ‘highlights’ of 2020
2020 was by all accounts a bad year for everyone so McCoy didn’t have to do much work to put together a highlights reel from the year.
You can find his ‘best’ moments from 2020 below:
Simon McCoy speaking for 7.5bn people here... https://t.co/FerXe7KEy5— Andrew Roberts 💬 (@Andrew Roberts 💬) 1609459388
Top 100
The Conversation (0)