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We are used to shocks on election night, but what happened in the corridor at Elstree in 2015 was bigger than any surprise we were about to unleash in the studios. Some hours before going live with the BBC graphics \u2013 for the Cameron\/Miliband election, if anyone remembers \u2013 I saw two figures hobbling towards me. They had clearly been in a terrible accident. The man and the woman were both bleeding from the head.<\/p>\n
It was even more than that. The blood was seeping through their bandages. Soaked gauze was wrapped under the man\u2019s chin \u2013 imagine a stooping soldier in a line of First World War wounded \u2013 and his trousers were ripped to shreds. The woman\u2019s arm was in a sling. She was on crutches and there were spots of blood on her blouse.<\/p>\n
I assumed something catastrophic had happened. But what came next made my jaw drop. David Dimbleby, standing next to me holding a cup of election-night coffee, roared with laughter and shouted at the pair: \u201cPulled through OK, did you?\u201d<\/p>
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Appalled, I glanced at my colleague. His behaviour seemed grotesquely insensitive. But then the injured man laughed. I turned back to the man and woman, who were now close to us. Yes, they looked hurt, but their faces showed no pain. In fact, the man was giggling. \u201cHello David,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily,\u201d the woman replied, laughing too.<\/p>\n
Suddenly my confusion lifted. Elstree, as well as being home to BBC election extravaganzas, was also the location for the filming of Holby City<\/a>, of blessed memory. The \u201cinjured\u201d woman and man were extras in the show, who were hoping to sneak a peek at the election studio. The joy of the BBC is in its overlaps \u2013 elections and soap operas.<\/p>\n
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