Unicorn dilemma: Daughter of British global health expert crashes interview

What is more important -- global health policy, or where to display a unicorn drawing?

That was the pointed issue confronting a BBC broadcaster on Monday, who was interviewing Clare Wenham, an assistant professor at the London School of Economics.

Of course, the unicorn won out.

Wenham, speaking virtually with Christian Fraser, was about to answer a question about the United Kingdom’s response to the coronavirus pandemic when her daughter, Scarlett, entered the picture, The New York Times reported.

The young girl can be seen walking back and forth in the room, trying to decide where to put her drawing.

When Wenham finished her answer, Fraser asked, “What is your daughter called?”

“She’s called Scarlett,” Wenham said.

“Scarlett, I think it looks better on the lower shelf,” Fraser said. “And it’s a lovely unicorn.”

As Fraser started to ask another question, Scarlett interrupted.

“Say, what’s his name?” the child asked. “What’s his name, Mummy?”

Fraser had a good laugh and quipped, “This is the most informative interview I’ve done all day.”

Wenham told the BBC it was ironic that her interview had been crashed. She said she recently wrote an article for the British Medical Journal on that topic.

Wenham conceded, however, that she never thought that scenario would happen to her.

Reaction was mostly positive, with Twitter users complimenting both Wenham and Fraser.

“Wonderful to see the realities of homeworking for parents,” Heather de Gruyther wrote. “And thank you to the presenter for making it OK and for talking to the child too.”

The interview was similar to a 2017 clip that went viral when Robert Kelly, a political-science professor at Pusan National University in South Korea, was interrupted by his children and wife during his interview with the BBC, the Times reported.

Cox Media Group