Today’s instalment of The One Show began by dedicating a segment to the death of Professor Stephen Hawking, who died this morning at the age of 76.
However, one guest told a story about Stephen which delighted the hosts of the programme.
BBC Science Correspondent Pallab Ghosh appeared on the show to comment on his memories of the physicist, when he made a surprise revelation.
Pallab said: “He played a huge joke on me that very first time I met him, in that we were filming an interview with him and the cameraman wanted to change the lighting.
“He [the cameraman] asked, ‘Is it alright if I unplug this?’, and without waiting for an answer he did, and all these sirens went off and I thought, ‘Oh my god we’ve unplugged something crucial to Professor Hawking’s well being’ and he slumped over.
“Then it turned out he was just laughing at our incompetence.”
Presenters Matt Baker and Michelle Ackerley then burst into laughter over the story.
Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber also appeared as a guest on today’s instalment of the programme where he revealed he too had met Stephen.
“I did meet him a couple of times, mainly at parties,” he said. “He had a very wide taste in classical music.”
He jokingly added: “But I’m one of these people who can’t understand the concept on infinity, therefore, I’m hopeless when it comes to understanding anything he was talking about.”
However, despite the knowledge gap between them, Sir Andrew said he was “very engaging”.
The exact cause of Professor Hawking’s death remains unknown, but he suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
In a statement released in the early hours of this morning, Professor Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.
“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.
“His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.
“He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.'”
The One Show continues tomorrow at 7pm on BBC One.
