Blunder happened on BBC Breakfast when BBC1 show broadcast clip of promo video for comedy quartet Barbershopera

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

It might not go down as one of the great television howlers, but the BBC has apologised for broadcasting a picture of the Duke of Cambridge with a penis drawn on his head.

The less-than-princely blunder happened on BBC Breakfast on Thursday morning when the BBC1 show broadcast a clip of a promo video for the comedy quartet Barbershopera.

The phallic graffiti was only on screen for a matter of seconds but was spotted by several eagle-eyed viewers – even though it had apparently been missed by BBC editors.

"Wow bbc breakfast just showed a picture of prince William with a penis drawn on his head," tweeted Andreas Vesalius.

Dave Yates remarked: "Dear BBC Breakfast. The trail for 'Barbershopera' just showed a cartoon drawing of a penis on Prince William's head. Please be more careful."

The BBC was quick to apologise for the "offending material", which it said had been provided by Barbershopera.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "This image was shown fleetingly within a comedy promotional video for Barbershopera, a humorous barbershop group, who were appearing later on in the programme.

"The material was provided by Barbershopera but we failed to spot the offending material within it. We apologise for this."

Viewers hoping to re-live the unfortunate blunder will be disappointed to learn the programme will not be available on the BBC iPlayer, as BBC Breakfast is never uploaded to the catch-up service.

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