Ozzy Osbourne forced BBC schedulers to push back Monday night's 10 o'clock News when he and his Black Sabbath bandmates sprung a huge surprise to be a last ditch star guest at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.
After 11 days of competition across many different sports and disciplines, the Games drew to a close in Birmingham. And, after being the scene of an agonising disqualification for Team England's 4x400m women's relay team after they thought they'd won gold, it was the Alexander Stadium which played host to a fantastic final spectacle.
The closing ceremony was a celebration of Birmingham's heritage and music and featured an array of stars who took their roles in a decade-spanning concert. Come on Eileen legends Dexy's Midnight Runners were there, as well as 90s dancehall icon Apache Indian, Punjabi MC and Brit winner Jorja Smith, who gave her take on a Judas Priest classic.
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One of the stand out moments was a duet between Beverley Knight and Goldie on his 90s smash Inner City Life, before the baton was handed over to Australia, who will hoist the next Commonwealth Games in 2026. As they pick up the mantel, Aussie stars like Taylor Henderson and Vanessa Amorosi took to the stage.
After fireworks and closing speeches, many viewers would have been forgiven for thinking proceedings were over, but after teasing a surprise all night, BBC commentator Hazel Irvine announced that Birmingham music icon Ozzy was there with Black Sabbath just as the sound of guitars thrashed around the stadium.
Ozzy's last minute cameo to perform Paranoid caused the live broadcast to run over its allotted time slot, as a message appeared on screen to say that the News would 'follow shortly.'
News host Huw Edwards saw the funny side as he posted a shot of himself in the BBC studio, captioning it: "OK time check make that 22:11," along with a winky face emoji. One of his followers reacted: "Worth being delayed to see @OzzyOsbourne in Brum surely?!"
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