At the heart of Sunday evening's episode 2 of 'Undercover' was a flashback scene to 1996, with two cops embedded in a gang of drug dealers while their colleagues listened in.
The only problem... if this had been for real, they would have been easily busted, as two of the police officers at the scene were seen taking calls on their phones, that'll be iPhones, not available until 2007.
Not to worry, because the drug dealer did too.
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Not so undercover, with phones from the wrong era
BBC
This props blunder did little to dent the enthusiasm for the political drama, which has taken 'The Night Manager's spot on primetime Sunday evening BBC1 at 9pm.
Viewers have been swift to praise the performances of both leads Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester as a married couple, facing separate challenges as she takes on a high-profile role and his past as a secret cop comes back to haunt him.
'Undercover' isn't the first BBC drama to suffer from keen-eyed viewers noticing something in the background. The suspense of the superb 'Happy Valley' and the anguish of killer detective John Wadsworth forced to take part in his victim's autopsy, was somewhat curbed by the TV audience spotting the 'corpse' blinking in the background.
And, over in soaps-ville, it happens too.
Tap the first picture to open the slideshow:
'Coronation Street' Continuity Errors
Tim Metcalfe Can't Read?(01 of06)
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When Tim Metcalfe, the biological father of Faye Windass, came on the scene, his new partner, Sally Webster, was shocked to learn later down the line that he couldn’t read. Not as shocked ss some viewers, though, who remembered that Tim first got in contact with Faye over the Internet and via text message, two tools which reading is pretty much fundamental for.This wasn’t the first time Tim stuck out to viewers for the wrong reasons, though, as some fans of the soap noticed that actor Joe Duttine, who plays Tim, had appeared on ‘Corrie’ just three years earlier, as detective Max Carr. (credit:ITV)
Todd Grimshaw's Black Eye(02 of06)
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It’s been very difficult to feel anything other than disdain towards Todd Grimshaw ever since he arrived back on the cobbles, but he managed to illicit a bit of sympathy from viewers last November, when his character was attacked by a group of youths in the street.However, the scenes of his attack prompted a negative reaction from some observant ‘Corrie’ fans, who noticed that producers couldn’t seem to make their minds up whether it was Todd’s left or right eye that had been damaged in the fracas. (credit:Rex)
Mike Baldwin's Secret Nephew(03 of06)
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When ‘Corrie’ icon Mike Baldwin first arrived in the soap, it was established that he was an only child, so you can imagine viewers’ surprise when suddenly his nephew, Danny Baldwin, came on the scene.Still, it did give us more Bradley Walsh on our screens, which is never a bad thing. (credit:ITV)
Bethany Platt's Accent(04 of06)
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Bethany Platt’s return to Weatherfield was much anticipated, not least because of the controversy surrounding her casting, which saw one actress sacked for lying about her age to gain the role.But the question on a lot of viewers’ lips was, if she’d spent practically her entire childhood in Milan, why did she speak with a broad Manchester accent? (credit:ITV)
Ivy Tilsley's Forgotten Husband(05 of06)
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Continuity errors aren’t a new phenomenon on the cobbles, though, and back in the 1970s, the show’s ever-growing audience were shocked when Ivy Tilsley’s first husband, Jack, was completely erased from history.In 1979, Ivy’s husband Bert Tilsley was introduced, who viewers were told she’d been married to for over 20 years… yet in 1972, she’d been seen on screen talking about her husband, Jack, who had been unfaithful to her. (credit:ITV/Rex)
The Rovers Return Loos(06 of06)
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Arguably the biggest continuity error of all the soaps is the toilets in the Rovers Return. There’s a reason they’re seldom-used or seen on screen, and that’s because, based on the geography of the street, the positioning of the toilet doors would lead directly into Ken Barlow’s kitchen.And that's why Ken prefers it when people try and hold it in... (credit:McPix Ltd/REX)