BBC News At 10 Apologises For Shashi Kapoor Blunder Following Segment About Actor's Death

BBC News At 10 editor Paul Royall has responded to viewers’ criticism after footage of the wrong actor was used during a tribute to Bollywood actor and producer Shashi Kapoor.

On Monday (4 December), it was announced that Shashi had died at the age of 79, having been admitted to the Kokilaben Hospital hospital in Mumbai earlier that day.

However, when the BBC covered the news of his death, viewers were quick to point out that they’d actually used footage of fellow Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan to illustrate the story.

To make matters worse, the BBC’s video montage later included a clip of Shashi’s nephew Rishi Kapoor, with many blasting the channel on social media for their mistake, which completely left Shashi Kapoor out of his own tribute.

The news show’s editor, Paul Royall, has now had his say in response to the backlash, issuing a short comment on his Twitter account.

He wrote: “[‘News At 10’] is is very sorry wrong images were used to mark the death of Shashi Kapoor. Not our usual standards and I apologise for any upset.”

Throughout his extensive career in the film industry, Shashi Kapoor starred in more than 175 films, most recently appearing in the English-language films ‘Jinnah’ and ‘Side Streets’ in 1998.

He also served as director on ‘Ajooba’ in 1991, as well as the Russian-language film ’Vozvrashcheniye Bagdadskogo Vora’ in 1988.

His nephew Randhir Kapoor confirmed the news of his death, explaining: “Yes, he has passed away. He had kidney problem for several years. He was on dialysis for several years.”

He is survived by his two sons, Kunal and Karan, and a daughter, Sanjana.