The Wrong Guy

The remarkable inside story of the greatest screw-up in the history of TV

On May 8, 2006, Congolese finance graduate Guy Goma turns up for a job interview at the BBC, when his world explodes. Mistaken for a news guest whose name was also Guy (and who was waiting in a different reception area), he’s ushered into a studio and interviewed live on TV. As he’s introduced as “Guy Kewney”, terror washes over his face like a tidal wave, before giving way to a Munch-esque silent scream. He’s peppered with questions about the Apple Computer court case. In mangled, Francophone-flecked English, he bluffs his way through the interview with answers so hilariously nonsensical that he wins over viewers — and then the world. “The Wrong Guy”, as the British press dubs him, becomes a legend.

What really happened that day? Who was responsible, and how did it impact Guy's life? Twenty years on, Elliott Gotkine, together with Guy Goma, reveals for the first time the remarkable, stranger-than-fiction story of The Wrong Guy, why his 15 minutes of fame endured, the chaos of 24-hour news, and how celebrity — and destiny — isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.