Bryan
20-05-2006, 23:00
The live National Lottery draw was held up when demonstrators invaded the stage at BBC Television Centre. Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice - which had officially been wound up - claimed responsibility. Protesters armed with flares, who had been in the audience, stormed the set of the BBC1 National Lottery: Jet Set programme.
The broadcast was taken off air for several minutes before the draw for this week's £17 million Superdraw jackpot was resumed.
Presenter Eamonn Holmes -
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who was lead off stage by a protester - joked when the show resumed: "If anyone else is going to protest, please start now."
He said afterwards: "It was quite scary for us and the audience."
Guy Harrison, a spokesman for Fathers 4 Justice, said: "This marks the dramatic return of Fathers 4 Justice.
"The lottery is a metaphor for what can happen to any parent, mother or father, and their children, at the hands of the secret family courts.
"It's our duty to warn parents about what is happening and send them this message: don't play family law lotto - don't gamble with your kids."
BBC announcer Alan Dedicoat, the "voice of the balls" in the lottery draw, was forced to improvise a commentary tonight while the demonstrators were cleared from the studio.
He said: "The director, mercifully, cut away from most of what was going on and we were left with presenters Sarah Cawood and Eamonn Holmes in the shot.
"We got to a point where we felt we couldn't go any further so we just put up a caption."
Camelot spokesman Ben Rosier said: "It's amazing what people will do when there are 10 million people watching and £17 million up for grabs."
It is not clear what happened to the protesters.
Fathers 4 Justice, a parental rights group, was disbanded in January after some members were accused of plotting to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's youngest son, Leo.
The Lottery stunt came two years after the group's notorious flour bomb attack in the House of Commons.
Tony Blair was hit by a purple flour-filled condom hurled from the public gallery by Mr Harrison during Prime Minister's Questions on May 19, 2004.
The broadcast was taken off air for several minutes before the draw for this week's £17 million Superdraw jackpot was resumed.
Presenter Eamonn Holmes -
Advertisement
who was lead off stage by a protester - joked when the show resumed: "If anyone else is going to protest, please start now."
He said afterwards: "It was quite scary for us and the audience."
Guy Harrison, a spokesman for Fathers 4 Justice, said: "This marks the dramatic return of Fathers 4 Justice.
"The lottery is a metaphor for what can happen to any parent, mother or father, and their children, at the hands of the secret family courts.
"It's our duty to warn parents about what is happening and send them this message: don't play family law lotto - don't gamble with your kids."
BBC announcer Alan Dedicoat, the "voice of the balls" in the lottery draw, was forced to improvise a commentary tonight while the demonstrators were cleared from the studio.
He said: "The director, mercifully, cut away from most of what was going on and we were left with presenters Sarah Cawood and Eamonn Holmes in the shot.
"We got to a point where we felt we couldn't go any further so we just put up a caption."
Camelot spokesman Ben Rosier said: "It's amazing what people will do when there are 10 million people watching and £17 million up for grabs."
It is not clear what happened to the protesters.
Fathers 4 Justice, a parental rights group, was disbanded in January after some members were accused of plotting to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's youngest son, Leo.
The Lottery stunt came two years after the group's notorious flour bomb attack in the House of Commons.
Tony Blair was hit by a purple flour-filled condom hurled from the public gallery by Mr Harrison during Prime Minister's Questions on May 19, 2004.