BBC presenter Ugo Monye was left red-faced on Sunday night after getting hiccups on live TV. The former England star was hosting Rugby Special for the first time this season when the hiccups struck at the worst possible moment, with the rest of the studio left in stitches as he soldiered on.
Together with pundits Sam Warburton and John Barclay, Monye was poring over the highlights from the opening weekend of the 2023 Six Nations and the trio were about to dissect Wales' defeat to Ireland when the former Harlequins back suffered the first hiccup.
After watching the game back, the host was about to kick-start the discussion when he hiccupped, before regaining his composure and asking former Wales skipper Warburton: "Well, Ireland certainly didn't miss a beat, especially in that first half Sam, 27-3 was the score at half-time, but what was the most impressive part of that half?"
However, while it initially seemed like a one-off, the hiccups were back just minutes later. Praising Ireland's performance, Monye said; "So if Ireland are the prominent team in the world, the number one team in the world, it's what they do when they get into the 22, Wales had their opportunities [hiccup] and they also had their entries as well..."
The much louder second outburst caused Monye to giggle as he apologised to viewers, with Warburton's face lighting up as he threw back his head in laughter. Former Scotland captain Barclay couldn't resist the opportunity to poke fun at the host after England's loss in the Calcutta Cup, asking him: "Were you celebrating a Scottish win last night?".
Monye then responded with a chant of "Duhaaan" after Scottish winger van der Merwe's incredible performance at Twickenham which saw him score one of the all-time great Six Nations tries.
He wasn't done yet though, as he was struck down for a third time while quizzing Warburton on Warren Gatland's team selection for the Scotland game. "So what does Warren Gatland do next week?," asked Monye. "He's without Alun Wyn Jones, he's out because of an HIA or a concussion [hiccup] injury, but what does he do with his team selection."
While Warburton tried to ignore it, he couldn't hide his smile before bursting out laughing again, adding: "I can't ignore those hiccups!". With Barclay also laughing along, Monye tried to defend himself, protesting: "I'm giddy!".
He was soon saved by highlights of France's win over Italy, but there was still time for one more hiccup from Monye, as he asked Barclay: "For Wales and Warren Gatland who have been here [hiccup] many times, how do you think that's going to measure up as a contest?" prompting another giggle from Warburton.
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