News anchor tries his best to hold in a sneeze on live TV — and we totally feel his struggle

A BBC newsreader’s attempt at staying composed through a live bulletin, desperately trying to avoid sneezing, left viewers back home in stitches. While reporting on former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s reported lockdown fines, Shaun Ley—who usually anchors the weekday evening slot—suddenly had a nose tickle. The brief but hilarious on-air moment still gets us cracking.

As Ley spoke, his voice shook, and his face turned funny as he tried not to sneeze. He managed to stop just in time and apologized, as reported by The Sun. He looked at the camera and said, "Excuse me, I'm about to sneeze." Seconds later, he smiled and said, "I think I’ve got away with it." As the video went viral across various social media platforms, it prompted a flurry of reactions. On X (formerly Twitter), a person (@mikechildmusic), said, “I always feel a bit sorry for Shaun Ley. He’s constantly on the verge of sneezing. Getting through one piece on camera often seems like a Herculean effort.”

BBC broadcaster Scott Bryan also shared the video clip on his X account and wrote, “This is the most British thing I have ever seen. The TENSION the DRAMA.” Another X user, @MarilynDobbs1, commented, “We call him Snotty Sean because he always is! Either sneezing or his nose running or just plain talks down his nose. He’s obviously got sinus issues, poor man, but it’s not comfortable to watch and listen to! He once sneezed, and the evidence was visible, yuck!” In a similar vein, @Ruobrab chimed, “Loved this. Saw it at the time, and it was a tense moment. Wanted to let out a wee cheer at the end when he said he got away with it.”

As the comments poured in, one from @DunningRoss read, “This poor chap has the sinuses from hell. Do you know when somebody yawns and you yawn in sympathy? Well, every time this lad appears, I think he's going to sneeze, and I sneeze in sympathy. I always have a box of tissues handy.” As you would have already guessed, this wasn’t Ley’s first awkward moment on camera. Earlier, he made headlines for his creative approach to beating the studio heat as he ditched the usual suit trousers and dress shoes for shorts and laid-back deck shoes.

His outfit stayed hidden behind the news desk—until a side-angle camera gave viewers a glimpse. The front view had him looking like any other professional news anchor, calm and composed as he read updates on COVID-19 travel regulations, until the camera panned and folks noticed his bare legs. On another occasion, in 2019, Ley was interviewing a Glasgow councillor when a spider crawled on the camera lens. Having been right on the lens, it looked massive to the viewers back home, as reported by The Irish Sun. I guess funny accidents happen when Ley is around.