BBC blunders: Liberal Democrat MP interviewed on Radio 4 turns out to be a ... - Telegraph.co.uk

The BBC blamed an incorrect number listed against his name in the corporation's directory of MPs' contact details for the blunder.

The incident occurred after the same man gave an interview to the London Evening Standard newspaper.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "The error came about after a call to an incorrect number listed in the BBC's directory of MPs' contact details.

"The usual pre-broadcast questions were asked of the person concerned, who maintained throughout that he was Mr Crockart and appeared credible."

"Once the mistake was realised, steps were taken immediately to rectify the error and to ensure it was not repeated.

She added: "A personal apology has been issued to Mr Crockart and a correction will be made on today's PM programme. We also apologise to our audiences for the error."

She said the programme would be pulled from its iPlayer online service.

The mistake occurred on the same day that James Naughtie, the veteran Today programme presenter, lost his composure on the BBC Radio 4 show after he stumbled over the pronunciation of Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary.