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Outbreaks of foot in mouth

They said it - and then wished they had engaged their brains before committing words to posterity. Tom Tickell sifts the year's gaffes

Monday 29 December 2003 20:00 EST
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"A naked woman seen dangling from a bridge across the A66 motorway could need help, police said" - Darlington Times

"Nasdaq down: Terror Up. Have a nice day" - Notice on CNN screen stock market report

"Our raison d'être is to perform in English" - Spokesperson, English National Opera, on Radio Four

"You're a gynaecologist. What are you feeling today" - Jon Snow interviews an Iraqi doctor on Channel 4 News

"Drama: Erotica, BBC2.

A new film tells the story behind Ludwig van Beethoven's masterpiece Third Symphony, the Erotica" - Irish Times

"Al Quaeda Threat Puts Spotlight on Garden Plants" - Garden News

"Henman sees balls as the key to his success" - Headline in the Evening Standard

"Tiny babies do worse in exams"

- Headline in The Times

"Today police are carrying out house-to-house injuries in a bid to find out the identity of the fire-raisers" - South Wales Argus

Southend: The New Vegas" - The Times property supplement

"World events and the threat of terrorism have made a new £25,000 secure door entry at South Lakeland District Council even more important, according to the authority" - The Westmoreland Gazette

"Although the alarm sounded when the robbers broke in, they quickly disabled it... and hid in the lavatory, the only place where there were no motion detectors" - The Times

"Flooding means that Falmouth Town station is closed. Please use Falmouth docks instead" - BBC travel information on Ceefax

"I was out with the troops today and I can tell you that the desert round here really is very sandy"

- Caroline Wyatt, BBC News

"Apparently they are shouting 'Saddam: your days are numbered'. We can't confirm that a) because I cannot hear what they are saying and b) because I do not speak Arabic" - BBC Newsreader Huw Edwards, on a special Iraq war programme

"It keeps the pot boiling and he [Tony Blair] needs that boil to be lanced" - Tim Marshall, Sky News

"Before a short service at Darlington crematorium on Tuesday of last week, his coffin was placed by the fireplace at the Town Hall, and he was toasted by friends, family and former customers" - Darlington and Stockton Times

"5.15 The Weakest Link: Party Conference broadcast by the Labour party.

6.15 Get A New Life" - Northern Echo TV Listings

"Want to sell your house for nothing??? Yes!!!" - Advertisement in the Wilmslow Express

"It appears that the police have been working under cover, disguised as burned-out cars, or as young teenagers driving around in untaxed and unroadworthy cars" - Basildon Evening Gazette

"This game was another rung on the ladder of the learning curve" - John Embury, Sky Sports

"A recent study called "Funeral Rights" revealed that many people admitted to "secret disappointment" with their funeral service" - Crosby Herald

"He has broken his left leg, which is a real kick in the teeth for him" - Luke Harvey, Radio Five Live

"The problem is dead in the water, unless something is pulled out of the fire" - Brian Rowan, BBC Radio Ulster

"At six inches tall, Telford cuts a striking figure, clad top to toe in black with peroxide blond hair" - The Sunday Herald

"They hunted in the forests and had one daughter - Marie-Anne Berta Felice, Johanna, Ghislaine, Theodora Huberta, Georgina, Helena, Genovevave, known as Bunny" - The Times

"Different churches have different entry points on the issue of human sexuality" - Church Times

"Keays: Theodore John Briffa October 2nd, Another naked apelet, sibling to Chunkfish and Mudslug and son to bemused parents. Hail" - Birth announcement in The Guardian

"Hong Kong will take your breath away" - Hong Kong Tourist Board slogan, issued just before the area was at the centre of a Sars scare

"Le Prince Charles et Camilla Parker-Bowels à une soirée de gala sur Shakespeare a Londres" - Picture caption in Var-Matin (Toulouse)

"Henman's injured shoulder has raised its ugly head again" - Jonathan Overend, Radio Five Live

"Agony and Ecstasy: Sex with Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Hannah Betts" - The Times

"Bonkers Bruno Locked Up" - Sun first edition. "Sad Bruno in Mental Home" - Sun edition two, after protests

"Pope sells 23 pubs to ease huge debt" - Bournemouth Daily Echo

"Train delays could last a decade, says Network Rail" - Daily Mail

"Riding a typical McCoy race, where with five lengths to go, he literally picked up the horse and carried it over the line" - Clare Balding, BBC1

"Ratings are not the only measure of success" - BBC reaction to news that its £30m digital channel, BBC4, had only attracted 4,000 viewers for one of its programmes

"For the Iraqis it must be like seeing Martians arriving from the Moon" - Rageh Omaar in a BBC News story about arrival of American troops in Baghdad

"8pm Grand Slam: Carol Vorderman and James Richardson are joined by more talented contestants" - The Guardian television guide

"The attack began around dawn, not a time when you expect a night-time attack to begin" - Adrian Britton, ITV News

"Knight in tarnished armour, married to dragon, seeks maiden for escapes and jousting sessions" - Advertisement in Private Eye

Simon Mayo: "Now we're going live to Everest. Jane Hughes is there. What kind of view can you see at the moment Jane?"

Jane Hughes: "Not much. It's pitch black because it is the middle of the night" - Interview on BBC Radio Five Live

"Knitting is the new cocaine"

Esther Addley, The Guardian

"It's a beautiful day here and, as I look around the ground, I can see about 30 young girls that are wearing Dutch caps" - Jonathan Agnew, Test Match Special

"I would die tomorrow if I could have five more years playing cricket for Yorkshire and England" - Geoff Boycott, Channel 4

"Neil Baker is standing on the touchline with his hands in his tracksuit, scratching his head" - Graham McGarry, BBC Radio Stoke

"This is a part-time self-employed position and would suit housewives or active pensioners who enjoy walking. Must be 13 years or over" - Advertisement in the Isle of Thanet Gazette

"I have been a priest for 30 years and know from personal experience that a third of all Anglican clergy are gay" - Letter in The Times

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