Man mistaken for IT expert during live interview says he will sue BBC over lack of royalties

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Man mistaken for IT expert during live interview says he will sue BBC over lack of royalties

A man who became an internet sensation after being mistakenly interviewed by the BBC more than 17 years ago has said he will take the corporation to court over a lack of royalties stemming from the clip.

When Guy Goma walked into the BBC for a job interview as a data cleanser in 2006 nothing would have prepared him for his ensuing stardom.

Mr Goma was put in the hot seat on BBC News 24 after staff confused him with an IT journalist called Guy Kewney who has been booked to speak on the subject of trademark rights and the music industry.

Putting on a brave face, Mr Goma answered presenter Karen Bowerman’s questions commenting on people “downloading [music] through the internet”.

The blunder has amassed more than five million views on the BBC News YouTube channel, however Mr Goma has claimed in a podcast that he has not received any royalties from the interview mix-up.

Speaking on podcast series Accidental Celebrities, Mr Goma said he was “going to go” to court against the BBC because of the “money they made from [the interview]” and that he had not received “a single penny”.

He claimed he had contacted the corporation but it “didn’t answer” him.

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Podcast hosts Josh Pieters and Archie Manners said his lack of compensation was “incredibly unfair” since his image and the clip had been seen worldwide.

Mr Goma said: “They have been using it for nearly 20 years with no penny to me.

“When I see that they are paying people millions here and there, that clip made them richer.”

Elaborating on the interview which he openly admitted on air at the time as a “big surprise”, Mr Goma revealed how before the ordeal he was offered make up, which he was baffled by.

Mr Goma said he told the BBC that it had the “wrong person” following the interview but that the corporation did not “say a single thing for a week”.

He added that he was considering writing a book, called Wrong Guy.

Sky News has asked the BBC for a comment.

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