Jeremy Paxman poked fun at BBC colleague David Dimbleby on Newsnight by “tattooing” his knuckles.
Instead of his usual sign-off last night, the presenter surprised viewers as he ended the programme by revealing the inked gothic-style letters on his hands, which read “good nite”.
Paxman appeared to be mocking Dimbleby, who this week unveiled a scorpion tattoo on his back.
The joke was largely received well, with Radio 4 presenter Libby Purves posting on Twitter: “JEREMY PAXMAN’S KNUCKLES now I can go to bed happy.”
Paxman was said to have branded a recent discussion about Cheryl Cole’s tattoos “the most ridiculous” he had chaired.
Last night’s stunt is the latest in a number of frivolous incidents since ex-Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz took over editing the programme in September. For Halloween, Paxman’s usually stern fellow Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark took to the studio floor to perform Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
