Newsreader Emily Maitlis revealed to The Spectator that her low point of the year was when she inadvertently accused Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks of leaving lewd messages on people’s answering machines.

While presenting BBC News 24 she managed to mix up the names of Andrew Sachs and Jonathan Ross — to make Jonathan Sacks.

Maitlis said: “I haven’t heard from the Chief Rabbi and Yom Kippur is a long way off but I should probably put that on the atoning list.”