IN the introduction to his show, Andrew Marr said there was a certain amount of interest in “some television interview or other”, a playful reference to Oprah Winfrey’s box office sit-down with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in California.

It was not the only keenly awaited tete a tete. Over in the BBC complaints department they could have been forgiven for bracing themselves ahead of the newspaper review on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday.

While never usually a firecracker segment, one of the two guests set to discuss the headlines with Marr was Sarah Smith, the BBC’s Scotland editor, and the topics included the Scottish Parliament inquiry into the Salmond saga.

Sarah Smith, Andrew Marr, talking about Scottish politics. What could possibly go wrong?

The two Scots broadcasters have not been strangers to complaints recently, many accusing the journalists of bias.

Smith and the BBC had to issue “clarifications” after she wrongly said that former First Minister Alex Salmond, giving evidence to the Holyrood inquiry on February 26, had called for Nicola Sturgeon to resign.

READ MORE: Scottish Conservatives press on with confidence vote

Complaints came in last July after Smith said Nicola Sturgeon had “enjoyed” the opportunity to take a different tack from Westminster in dealing with the pandemic. Smith apologised on Twitter, saying she had meant to say “embraced”.

Marr was the subject of bias complaints after interviews with the First Minister, Labour’s Ed Miliband and the Prime Minister. In all three cases, the BBC rejected the complaints and defended his “rigorous” style of interviewing.

So to the newspaper review, a straightforward job involving reading aloud headlines and adding context and observations. Smith was in Pacific Quay in Glasgow, fellow reviewer and personal finance journalist Martin Lewis was at home, with Marr in the studio in London.

Among Smith’s first topics was the 1% pay offer to nurses in England. “Like so many of the stories we talk about it is slightly different in Scotland [where the] nurses pay deal will not be negotiated until the summer,” she said. “Here they’ve been given an interim 1% rise and they did get a £500 bonus before Christmas.”

A clear case of the corporation’s Scotland editor earning her crust, pointing out the differences between the country and the rest of the UK. All tickety-boo.

Marr then turned to a “UK only” story that had started in Scotland but had gripped people far further afield. “The Sturgeon interview, er the Sturgeon evidence, to the Scottish Parliament this week.

“Eight hours she sat there, giving detailed answers. She couldn’t remember everything but it was an extraordinary, bravura performance which I can’t imagine very many ministers down in London being able to cope with,” said Marr.

So far, so flattering to the First Minister.

READ MORE: BBC responds to complaints about Salmond TV report

But two polls that morning showed the saga had dented support for the SNP and independence, he added. On the screen the front page of Scotland on Sunday appeared. The headline was: “Support for union ahead after Sturgeon’s inquiry evidence.”

Marr began reading aloud from his notes. “‘Support for Sturgeon ahead after …” He paused. Something was not right. He tried again. “‘Support for Sturgeon ahead after Sturgeon’s inquiry’." Another pause. "That doesn’t make sense.”

Mercifully, Smith interjected to correct him.

“Sorry, Sarah. I beg your pardon,” said Marr.

Smith saw the funny side of the snafu. Hopefully Marr did the same with the researcher who typed the note.

Turning to Nicola Sturgeon’s evidence last Wednesday, Smith said the First Minister was a “world class politician".

“She’s a fantastic communicator. That is one of Nicola Sturgeon’s great skills. She was across all, well nearly all, of the detail. She was calm and measured except for when a couple of quite emotional moments talking about the close friendship she had had with Alex Salmond. It reminded you that she is a world class politician at communications and presenting herself, but so is he.”

His evidence had been solid on the detail, measured, very calm, putting forward his case in a way that reminded you just why he had been such a successful politician in Scotland as well, she added.

Marr making a mess of a headline is a silly mistake, but there is a wider, more serious point here. From the end of this month to May 6, the day of the Scottish Parliament elections, programmes must abide by the usual strict rules on impartiality and accuracy, plus a few more on access, as set out in media regulator Ofcom’s broadcasting code.

It has become part of campaigning for parties to set up media monitoring departments, ready to fire off complaints if they feel hard done by. Viewers and listeners have been similarly keen. While there is never a good time for a programme maker to breach the broadcasting code, during an election or referendum is a particularly embarrassing one.

Expect extra care to be taken from now on to avoid mistakes and stick within the rules. That said, in the heat of a live two-way between studio and reporter things can turn out very differently. Just ask Sarah Smith.