BBC newsreader Matthew Amroliwala was forced to apologise live on air after a guest dropped the f-bomb during a tribute to David Hockney, who has died at the age of 88. The outburst interrupted a segment honouring one of Britain’s most iconic 20th-century artists, described on the front pages as a 'giant of art'.
Hockney, who rose to fame as a revolutionary painter in 1960s London, was known for his bright, accessible style and rock-star persona. He hobnobbed with royalty but never forgot his Yorkshire roots, said Gus Christie, executive chairman of Glyndebourne opera house, who first met Hockney at age 11 in 1975 when the artist designed the set for Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.
“David Hockney dies at 88; BBC forced to apologise after guest drops f-bomb live on air during tribute.”
'He was always his wry, Yorkshire, amusing, mischievous, naughty self,' Christie recalled. 'He dressed impeccably. He had the most wonderful suits … He got depressed when he saw others around him not making an effort.'
Hockney’s relationship with Glyndebourne spanned decades. The production was revived at least once a decade, and in 2023 the original creative team took a bow on opening night to a rapturous audience. 'David and John [Cox, the director] have come back each time and stayed in the house,' Christie said. On one visit, Hockney even touched up the devil character’s make-up.
He was also an early adopter of technology. In 2010, he created his first iPad drawing in a bedroom at Glyndebourne – a still life of flowers. 'He would stop anyone on the staircase – the gardener, the plumber, and go, “Look at this!”' Christie said. 'He was so enthused.'
Despite doctors’ warnings, Hockney remained a defiant smoker. 'He became a bit of a bore about his smoking – he was almost doing it to put fingers up to the medical profession,' Christie added. 'He hated people telling him what he should and shouldn’t do.'
The artist’s death at 88 has prompted an outpouring of tributes, though the BBC broadcast was briefly overshadowed by a guest’s expletive, forcing an on-air apology from Amroliwala. Hockney is survived by his vast body of work, from paintings to stage designs, and the memory of a man who 'was great fun' – and who, as Christie put it, 'never forgot his Yorkshire roots.'