BBC Breakfast Morning retro gaming segment gets flak for incorrect setup

This morning’s (July 14, 2025) BBC Breakfast segment focused on the resurgence of retro gaming. The segment took an unexpected turn when viewers spotted an NES Super Mario Bros. cartridge jammed inside a Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The mistake sparked disbelief and ridicule alike across social media and the gaming community. During the segment, UKIE Chief Executive Professor Nickle Poole (OBE) presented a collection of retro gaming hardware. The segment showcased generations of hardware, ranging from a Sinclair ZX81, a Nintendo Wii, to an SNES. 

The segment averaged some 6.5 million viewers and was supposed to celebrate the revitalized appeal of retro gaming consoles. Instead, the spotlight was stolen by a front-loading NES game shoved into a top-loading SNES. By the end of the day, users took to r/gaming and shared jokes like “I want to report a crime.”

Redditors had a field day with this BBC mismatch. One user suggested that “the setup was either done by someone who knows nothing about games, or someone who knows a lot about games and wants to screw with this subreddit.” Other users were disappointed by the absence of the UK’s best-selling 16-bit console, the SEGA Mega Drive.

In the wake of the on-air mistake, UKIE promptly pointed out that it held no responsibility for the setup and quickly distanced itself from the incident, in a statement to VGC. According to UKIE, the display had been set up by the BBC’s in-studio team and was not in Poole’s reach during filming. UKIE stated:

“For transparency, the studio team set up the in-studio display independently and handled the placement of the consoles–unfortunately, we couldn't adjust it whilst on air.”

Alongside Poole’s appearance on BBC Breakfast, the goof succeeded in garnering attention for retro gaming. But it’s quite unlikely that Poole will soon forget the NES-SNES crossover that stole the spotlight.