Guy Goma
Encyclopedia
Guy Goma is a business studies graduate from Brazzaville
in the Republic of the Congo
who gained international fame when he was accidentally interviewed live on BBC News 24
, a UK television news station, on Monday 8th May 2006.
Television Centre
in west London
to be interviewed for a position as a "Data Support Cleanser" in the Corporation's IT
department. At the same time, Guy Kewney
, a British technology expert, was in another reception area, known as Stage Door, preparing for a live television
interview on the subject of Apple Computer
's court case with The Beatles
' record label, Apple Corps
. The producer who was sent to fetch Kewney, however, was told that Kewney was in the main reception area. When he got there and asked the receptionist in person where Guy Kewney was, she pointed to Goma, even after being asked if she was sure that this was the right person.
The producer had seen a photo of Kewney, but only had five minutes before the live interview was due to take place. So he approached Goma and asked him if he was Guy Kewney. Hearing his first name, Goma answered in the affirmative. Goma was led to the News 24 studio. BBC staffers put on makeup, and he was ushered to the television studio, where he was seated in front of the cameras and wired up with a microphone. Although believing the situation to be highly unusual, he prepared to do his best for what he believed would be his job interview.
When introduced by interviewer Karen Bowerman
as Internet expert Guy Kewney, Goma became visibly shocked as he finally realised the serious misunderstanding that had taken place. Aware of the fact that he was on live television and not wishing to make a scene now that the interview had already begun, he simply played along, doing his best (in heavily French-accented English) to answer the interviewer's questions about the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
case and its ramifications for the music industry. Apart from the facial expression at the start, the interview seemed fairly believable to many viewers, particularly those unfamiliar with Kewney. In the meantime, Kewney, still in the waiting area, was himself shocked when he saw Goma interviewed in his place (though he was not able to hear the audio).
As soon as the mistake was detected the BBC recorded an interview with Kewney for later broadcast, which was never shown. The BBC instead brought in an alternative pundit, Rupert Goodwins
, for the next live slot on the topic.
After Goma's interview was broadcast, it was mistakenly reported (even by the BBC itself, on Radio 4
's Broadcasting House
) that Goma, who moved to England from Congo in 2002, was a taxi driver. In fact, he does not drive a car.
Soon after his appearance, there was some speculation that Goma was in Britain illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, and that he might be deported from the country. On 25 May 2006, it was announced that celebrity publicist Kizzi Nkwocha
had begun representing Goma and that Goma's apparent visa problems had already been resolved three years earlier, allowing him to live and work in the UK indefinitely.
and was jokingly questioned by the presenter — introducing him as a Venezuelan citizen, a lawyer and a doctor respectively — on the topics of Hugo Chávez
, the release of foreign prisoners into Britain, and Britons seeking medical treatment abroad.
On the same day, he also appeared again on BBC News 24, but this time in a planned interview to talk about his experience.
Soon after, he made appearances on GMTV
, ITV
and BBC's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
. He was also a featured celebrity on the televised call-in panel of the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Celebration on 20 May 2006. On 21 May 2006, Goma was interviewed on Channel 4
's T4
program about his experience.
Producer Alison Rosenzweig (Windtalkers
) says she has begun developing a movie based on his life, particularly this one incident, commenting "He's a fun, kind of internationally famous person that I think is an interesting source for movie material."
On 27 December 2006, Goma appeared on the Channel 4 television programme The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
, as a mystery guest. After a commercial break, he took Jimmy Carr
's place as host for a few seconds, welcoming the audience back to the show. Everyone on the quiz agreed that Goma was a better host than Carr, eventually leading to the audience and contestants heckling Carr and insulting his ability as a presenter, and chanting "Bring back Guy, bring back Guy!"; Carr, though feigning displeasure, took this with good humour.
On 1 January 2007, Goma appeared in a segment on CNN International
Your World Today
.
In an episode of The IT Crowd
, "Smoke and Mirrors", Moss finds himself in a situation very similar to that of Goma's; writer Graham Linehan saw the Goma story on the Internet and incorporated it into his series.
Brazzaville
-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
in the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
who gained international fame when he was accidentally interviewed live on BBC News 24
BBC News 24
BBC News is the BBC's 24-hour rolling news television network in the United Kingdom. The channel launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 17:30 as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic television channels, becoming the first competitor to Sky News, which had been running since 1989...
, a UK television news station, on Monday 8th May 2006.
The interview
Guy Goma was waiting in the main reception area of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to be interviewed for a position as a "Data Support Cleanser" in the Corporation's IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
department. At the same time, Guy Kewney
Guy Kewney
Guy Kewney was a South African-born British journalist, regarded by some as the first UK technology journalist. He was best known as a personal computing pundit, starting with Personal Computer World writing a monthly column for the magazine from its launch in 1978 until its closure in June 2009...
, a British technology expert, was in another reception area, known as Stage Door, preparing for a live television
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
interview on the subject of Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's court case with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' record label, Apple Corps
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
. The producer who was sent to fetch Kewney, however, was told that Kewney was in the main reception area. When he got there and asked the receptionist in person where Guy Kewney was, she pointed to Goma, even after being asked if she was sure that this was the right person.
The producer had seen a photo of Kewney, but only had five minutes before the live interview was due to take place. So he approached Goma and asked him if he was Guy Kewney. Hearing his first name, Goma answered in the affirmative. Goma was led to the News 24 studio. BBC staffers put on makeup, and he was ushered to the television studio, where he was seated in front of the cameras and wired up with a microphone. Although believing the situation to be highly unusual, he prepared to do his best for what he believed would be his job interview.
When introduced by interviewer Karen Bowerman
Karen Bowerman
Karen Bowerman is an English journalist and television presenter who has worked for Sky, ITV, CNN International and the BBC. She was the consumer correspondent for BBC One and the business, finance and consumer presenter for the BBC News Channel and its international counterpart BBC World...
as Internet expert Guy Kewney, Goma became visibly shocked as he finally realised the serious misunderstanding that had taken place. Aware of the fact that he was on live television and not wishing to make a scene now that the interview had already begun, he simply played along, doing his best (in heavily French-accented English) to answer the interviewer's questions about the Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
Between 1978 and 2006 there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer over competing trademark rights...
case and its ramifications for the music industry. Apart from the facial expression at the start, the interview seemed fairly believable to many viewers, particularly those unfamiliar with Kewney. In the meantime, Kewney, still in the waiting area, was himself shocked when he saw Goma interviewed in his place (though he was not able to hear the audio).
Aftermath
Twenty minutes after the television interview, Goma attended his job interview, which lasted ten minutes. He was not hired.As soon as the mistake was detected the BBC recorded an interview with Kewney for later broadcast, which was never shown. The BBC instead brought in an alternative pundit, Rupert Goodwins
Rupert Goodwins
Rupert Goodwins is a British writer, broadcaster and technology journalist.He began his career as a programmer for Sinclair Research in the early 1980s, working on the ZX Spectrum ROM...
, for the next live slot on the topic.
After Goma's interview was broadcast, it was mistakenly reported (even by the BBC itself, on Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House (radio programme)
Broadcasting House is a current affairs programme on BBC Radio 4, presented by Paddy O'Connell. It is broadcast every Sunday between 09:00 and 10:00....
) that Goma, who moved to England from Congo in 2002, was a taxi driver. In fact, he does not drive a car.
Soon after his appearance, there was some speculation that Goma was in Britain illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, and that he might be deported from the country. On 25 May 2006, it was announced that celebrity publicist Kizzi Nkwocha
Kizzi Nkwocha
Kizzi Nkwocha is a media consultant and public relations specialist based in the United Kingdom.He was born in Nigeria, eventually emigrating to the United Kingdom. At 21, he became the UK's youngest newspaper editor, editing the 10-edition Recorder Group in West London...
had begun representing Goma and that Goma's apparent visa problems had already been resolved three years earlier, allowing him to live and work in the UK indefinitely.
Transcript of the interview
- Karen Bowerman: Well, Guy Kewney is editor of the technology website Newswireless. Hello, good morning to you.
- Goma: Good morning.
- KB: Were you surprised by this verdict today?
- Goma: I am very surprised to see...this verdict to come on me, because I was not expecting that. When I came, they told me something else and I am coming. "You got an interview," that's all. So a big surprise anyway.
- KB: A big surprise, yeah, yes.
- Goma: Exactly.
- KB: With regards to the costs involved, do you think now more people will be downloading online?
- Goma: Actually, if you can go everywhere you're gonna see a lot of people downloading to the Internet and the website, and everything they want. But I think it is much better for the development and...eh...to inform people what they want and to get the easy way and so faster if they are looking for.
- KB: This does really seem to be the way the music industry's progressing now, that people want to go onto the website and download music.
- Goma: Exactly. You can go everywhere on the cyber cafe, and you can take...you can go easy. It is going to be an easy way for everyone to get something to the Internet.
- KB: Guy Kewney, thanks very much indeed.
Further appearances
On 16 May 2006, Goma appeared on Channel 4 NewsChannel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
and was jokingly questioned by the presenter — introducing him as a Venezuelan citizen, a lawyer and a doctor respectively — on the topics of Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
, the release of foreign prisoners into Britain, and Britons seeking medical treatment abroad.
On the same day, he also appeared again on BBC News 24, but this time in a planned interview to talk about his experience.
Soon after, he made appearances on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and BBC's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
. He was also a featured celebrity on the televised call-in panel of the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Celebration on 20 May 2006. On 21 May 2006, Goma was interviewed on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's T4
T4 (Channel 4)
T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
program about his experience.
Producer Alison Rosenzweig (Windtalkers
Windtalkers
Windtalkers is a 2002 action war film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers in Saipan during World War II.-Plot:World War II Sgt...
) says she has begun developing a movie based on his life, particularly this one incident, commenting "He's a fun, kind of internationally famous person that I think is an interesting source for movie material."
On 27 December 2006, Goma appeared on the Channel 4 television programme The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is an annual British television programme broadcast in the last or first week of the year on Channel 4. Essentially, the show is a comedy panel game in the style of a pub quiz. Three teams, of two celebrities each, are asked questions relating to the events of the year...
, as a mystery guest. After a commercial break, he took Jimmy Carr
Jimmy Carr
James Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr is an English-Irish comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery and dark humour. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television....
's place as host for a few seconds, welcoming the audience back to the show. Everyone on the quiz agreed that Goma was a better host than Carr, eventually leading to the audience and contestants heckling Carr and insulting his ability as a presenter, and chanting "Bring back Guy, bring back Guy!"; Carr, though feigning displeasure, took this with good humour.
On 1 January 2007, Goma appeared in a segment on CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
Your World Today
Your World Today
Your World Today is a daily international news-magazine television series that aired on CNN International, a sister channel to CNN — both being cable-news channels.-Production and format:...
.
In an episode of The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd is a British sitcom by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry...
, "Smoke and Mirrors", Moss finds himself in a situation very similar to that of Goma's; writer Graham Linehan saw the Goma story on the Internet and incorporated it into his series.
External links
- BBC News story
- Transcript of the interview
- Revealed: The identity of the BBC's latest star The Mail on Sunday, 13 May 2006
- Guy Goma gets movie Globa-Tech Today, 28 August 2006
- Guy Goma signatures for president
Video
Audio
- Story from NPR All Things Considered program, 15 May 2006