What happened on Match of the Day last night? Jarvo69 ‘sex noise’ prank explained - what did Gary Lineker say?

The BBC has issued an apology following the transmission of obscene “sex noise” sounds during live coverage of the FA Cup match between Wolves and Liverpool on Tuesday night (17 January).

Presenter Gary Lineker was discussing the third-round replay with commentators Paul Ince and Danny Murphy in a studio at Wolves' Molineux stadium when audible pornographic wails erupted nearby.

Lineker looked momentarily startled by the practical joke and found it difficult to maintain a straight face as he cut to colleague and fellow former England striker Alan Shearer in the commentary gantry.

He revealed the loud moaning noises were caused by a hidden mobile phone “taped to the back of the set” as he tried to laugh off the incident. “Somebody’s sending something on someone’s phone, I think,” he said.

“I don’t know whether you heard it at home,” Lineker continued. But the stunt did not go unnoticed by viewers as the incident was clipped and widely shared on social media.

Once the match had begun, Lineker tweeted a picture of a mobile phone and three laughing emojis alongside the words: “Well, we found this taped to the back of the set. As sabotage goes it was quite amusing.”

A BBC spokesperson said on Twitter: “We apologise to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening. We are investigating how this happened.”

Who was behind the prank?

Self-styled YouTube prankster Daniel Jarvis claimed he was behind the stunt, posting a video on Twitter that seemed to show him at Molineux.

Jarvis, who uses the nickname Jarvo, was handed a suspended sentence last October after being convicted of aggravated trespass over an incident where he collided with England cricketer Jonny Bairstow after invading the Oval pitch in south London during a Test.

He was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for two years, and was also banned from attending any venue where a sporting fixture is being held in England and Wales for two years, from travelling abroad for 12 months and made subject to a rehabilitation activity requirement.