Brilliant moment a BBC expert’s live interview is gatecrashed by his curious children

By Paddy Dinham | Daily Mail |

Live television always leaves room for hilarious gaffes – which is exactly what happened when a BBC debate on South Korea was interrupted by the interviewee’s children.

The hilarious footage shows expert Robert Kelly, an associate professor of Political Science at Pusan National University in Busan, handling serious questions on the country’s president, Park Geun-hye, being ousted from power.

But suddenly, a toddler bursts into the room in a bright yellow top and performs a comical dance behind the Cleveland, Ohio, native.

Kelly, 44, who was born and studied in the US before moving to Korea as a political science professor, focuses entirely on the camera as he attempts to blindly hand off his daughter, who is clearly curious as to who he is talking to.

And his parental problems soon double as a baby also excitedly makes his way into the room under his own power in a walker.

To complete the farce, his wife Jung-a Kim then comes skidding through the threshold.

She grabs the two youngsters and attempts to drag them out of the door, but one of them can be heard wailing and the baby’s walker suddenly won’t fit back through the door.

Eventually, she manages to get them both out, and the interview continues. 

When the interview finishes, broadcaster James Mernendez says: ‘There’s a first time for everything. I think you’ve got some children who need you!’ 

And after the segment had finished, the presenter admitted on Twitter that he had struggled to keep it together.

He posted a link to the video, with the words: ‘Hard to keep a straight face.’

Afterwards, he added: ‘It was the desperate reach for the door at the end that nearly did it for me.’ 

The hilarious footage was first tweeted by BBC producer Julia MacFarlane, who promptly deleted it 20 minutes later.  

She wrote: ‘When the kids interrupt you in the middle of live TV…A lovely moment and masterfully handled by our guest this morning on South Korea’. 

A BBC spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We’re really grateful to Professor Kelly for his professionalism. This just goes to show that live broadcasting isn’t always child’s play.’ 

A highly respected expert on South Korean politics, Prof Kelly has written for outlets including Foreign Affairs, The European Journal Of International Relations and The Economist.

He earned his bachelors degree in political science from the University of Miami and completed his PhD at Ohio State. 

Kelly moved to Korea in 2008, and married Jung-a Kim, a former yoga teacher who is now a stay-at-home mother to their two children, Marion, four, and James, nine-months.  

Kelly’s mother Ellen told DailyMail.com the clip was ‘hilarious’ and that she had spoken to her son just as it started to become an internet sensation. 

‘First my sister called and then we spoke to Robert, who was a little disturbed – probably just embarrassed,’ she said.

Mrs Kelly added that she thought ‘the best part’ of the video was when his wife, Jung-a, came skidding through.

‘It was just fantastic,’ Mrs Kelly said. ‘Robert will be in for a real treat when he wakes up the morning.’ 

As Korea is 14 hours ahead of the U.S., Mrs Kelly did not know if her son is fully aware of his internet fame – most of which grew when he would normally be asleep.

But Facebook posts on the professor’s wall, congratulating him on his ‘performance’ and calling him a ‘star’, are flooding in.

Mrs Kelly, of University Heights, just outside Cleveland, Ohio, told DailyMail.com that she is exceptionally proud of her son and all of his accomplishments, and added that he is a ‘wonderful’ and committed father.

She and her husband Joseph usually Skype with Robert, his wife Jung-a Kim and the two children from the same place as he was carrying out the BBC interview.

‘Robert usually Skypes with us from his home office, which is where he did the interview.

‘The kids probably heard voices coming from the computer and assumed it was us,’ she said laughing. ‘It was just hilarious’.

Mrs Kelly, 72, explained that her 44-year-old son, who is an expert on South Korean politics, has done a number of interviews on network television for other outlets, including CNN, as well as CNBC, Sky News, and ITN.

She said: ‘I just hope that he gains recognition for his expertise rather than for this – as great as it all is.’

 ‘Life happens,’ she said, laughing. ‘The lesson is to lock the door!’

Since the clip has gone viral, social media has been awash with users in hysterics at the event.

One user, GothicFrog‏, said: ‘I love the speed of the child minder! She just drags them out!’

Lee Sherry added: ‘Did anybody just watch BBC world news interview regarding Korean president… children walked in. Maid dragged children out? Hilarious’. 

Tony Brown added: ‘I just can’t stop watching it on repeat.’ Daily Mail