Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. And ha with bells on.
Weren’t the Beeb left to look silly on Wednesday night?
On an evening bristling with FA Cup magic, they had played it safe by picking a sterile Premier League borefest that was Man City and West Ham. About as much romance as kissing a wet kipper.
Meanwhile, Havant & Waterlooville were storming past League One leaders Swansea to book a dream fourth-round trip to Anfield.
And some bloke called Keegan happened to turn up at Newcastle and inspire their best performance since, well, probably since he left just over 4,000 days earlier.
What did the BBC get? Oh yeah, yet another 1-0 Man City home win – a result you can bank as a correct scoreline with the bookies every other week.
I make no apologies for blowing Havant’s trumpet. They are, after all, my local non-league team.
I’ve whinged all week that their replay should have been televised by somebody. Surely the achievement in drawing away to a side four divisions higher – and one who had just beaten Leeds, among others – warranted a visit from the cameras second time around.
But the Beeb know best. Why slum it at Westleigh Park – which, I know from past experience, makes Accrington look like Arsenal – when they can enjoy the pre-match canapes in the City of Manchester Stadium?
So we missed out on the biggest shock of the round; we missed out on a six-goal thriller; we missed out on a missed penalty and numerous other hair-raising moments.
The world’s greatest cup competition is alive again. Pity we got the world’s shabbiest coverage.