A messaging mix-up at BBC Radio 5 Live has caused major on-air changes after Tony Livesey accidentally sent a critical note to his co-host Clare McDonnell about her work; the incident (which happened this fall) created tension that led to significant schedule adjustments
The pair whoʼve worked together since 02/2022 on the drive-time show will split up - with Livesey moving back to the 10PM-1AM slot where he first started in ʼ10‚ while Chris Warburton takes over the prime-time position; these changes dont take effect until Dec
Clare received a message from Tony basically slagging her off and she was livid
The incident joins other notable BBC messaging slip-ups including when Laura Kuenssberg sent briefing notes to Boris Johnson and when Stanley Johnson mis-sent emails about Chinese diplomatic concerns
Research shows workplace message mistakes are common:
- 58% of workers have sent emails to wrong recipients
- Companies with 1000 employees average 800 misdirected emails yearly
- 1-in-4 email mistakes result in job loss
High-profile message mishaps include the Bank of Englandʼs accidental EU-exit info leak and Peter Duttonʼs text-gone-wrong to a journalist heʼd called a “mad witch“ - tech companies are now developing smart-software to prevent such errors
But not all wrong-recipient stories end badly: an Arizona grandmaʼs mis-sent Thanksgiving invite to a stranger in ʼ16 turned into a heart-warming yearly tradition thatʼs now being made into a Netflix film