Everyone loves those brief, frequently hilarious moments when newsreaders don't realise they're live on air.
But BBC News tested our love of newsreader gaffes to the absolute limit, leaving poor presenter Huw Edwards adrift for minutes on end during the 10pm bulletin this week.
Eyes downcast, shuffling his notes and absent-mindedly doodling on his papers, Edwards remained live on air unaware he was being watched by viewers for more than four torturous minutes.
As some on social media pointed out, with the slew of tragedies in the UK in recent weeks, watching a newsreader do bugger all was actually a great deal nicer than hearing the real headlines.
Don't blame Edwards for this awkward blunder though - it was caused by a technical glitch, with an apology shown on the screen after a few minutes reading: "We are sorry for the break in this program and are trying to correct the fault."
Viewers were quick to poke fun at what was happening on screen, though:
The show's editor, Paul Royall, shed some light on what had happened:
Edwards took the gaffe in his stride - but tweeted after the show that he was looking forward to a well-earned beer.