Arsenal fans stunned as iconic BBC show appears on stadium TVs during Man City clash

Many Arsenal supporters were left feeling frustrated following their team's disappointing 1-1 stalemate with Manchester City at the weekend.

However, a small section of the club's faithful, positioned in the Emirates Stadium's North Bank stand, found themselves somewhat puzzled by what was being broadcast on the massive video displays positioned above their heads and close to the refreshment area throughout the match.

Devoted fan and The Athletic's Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas, speaking on the weekly Arsecast podcast, recounted the "bizarre" incident when he stepped away from the action to purchase a drink and discovered himself viewing a BBC1 property programme.

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"I have got to say, this was one of the most surreal football live experiences I've ever had," he told co-host Andrew Mangan.

"On the screen above me in the north bank of the Emirates Stadium for the vast majority of the first half, certainly for about 20 minutes of the first half, they were showing the BBC daytime property program, Escape to the Country."

The screens would typically have been broadcasting replays of the match action but were instead providing crucial updates on Nicki Chapman's efforts to locate a residence in Norfolk for a household of five.

It's not presently thought that Escape to the Country was being screened as commentary on the uninspiring quality of the fixture.

James remembered: "It was so surreal because I nipped out a couple of minutes before half time to get a pint, which is the largest drink size they do.

"It was surreal watching fans queue up to get a beer, trying to find out if this couple were going to go for house number one, house number two, or house number three." he shared, adding that one fellow supporter was so irate that he climbed onto one of the seats to switch off the TV.

James confessed that he wasn't particularly fond of the show, stating: "Basically, it's just two people going around bedrooms, being like,' it's a bit small, not enough storage space.' That was so weird that it slightly span me out."

His co-host Andrew deduced that the most plausible explanation for the peculiar incident was that an Arsenal Woman's team match had been broadcast earlier in the day and when that game concluded "BBC programming continued on its course".

Apparently, the bar staff were either too swamped to change the channel to the in-house replay feed, or they had simply misplaced the remote control.

Worse incidents have occurred with televised football coverage.

In 2023, Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker grumbled that he "couldn't hear himself think" after a YouTube prankster hid a mobile phone on the BBC show's set and used it to play loud adult movie sound effects during the live broadcast.

Gary commented at the time: "I thought it was funny, and the YouTube prankster has shown his work.

"It was that loud that I couldn't really hear myself think, or what the other guys were saying, and realised people could probably hear it at home so I knew I had to both keep it together, whilst also addressing the matter."