The earthquake video took off like I could never have imagined.

I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed that my ‘break’ (if it ends up being like that) is a clip of me rather drunkenly shouting at the TV, but it’s publicity all the same.

Anyway, I think the clip has now reached its climatic point: Click here to watch it being discussed on the BBC News Channel’s Newswatch programme. (This won’t be here forever, folks. Watch it before Friday!)

A couple of points, from the programme, that I would like to talk about briefly here.

Firstly, I’m delighted the BBC think it’s a good idea to have a contingency plan. When being interviewed for the show — I tried to get them to invite me on, but to no avail! — I cited the example of having black suits and graphics ready for the Queen’s death.

Of course, the Queen isn’t dead. But she will die at some point, and the channels have to be fully prepared for that to happen, and God help a newsreader who isn’t in a black suit and tie when that event occurs.

Other, less extremes examples include ‘false’ developments in high profile cases being ready to go live online. It may be bad taste to have shocking stories ready on standby, but it’s all about being prepared. It’s worth pointing out, though, that these preparations must remain secret — I’ll never forget the time I saw the Sky News ticker read “Michael Jackson found guilty of child molestation”.

Anyway, this should happen with the BBC News Channel*. If something UK-centric happens in the UK, then we should hear about it. The BBC World channel is fantastic when nothing major breaks here — I enjoy the continent-hopping news bulletins — but the British public wanted to know why they’d just been shuddered awake, and the BBC failed, miserably, to deliver.

My second point is more of a query. In that show, Kevin Bakhurst (controller, BBC News Channel) says there were personnel changes following the events that night. Was there really?!