Former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis appeared to make the mistake of thinking that a guest on Channel 4’s coverage of the General Election had been speaking from a graveyard.

The 53-year-old broadcaster, who left BBC’s Newsnight in 2022, was talking to SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn from the Channel 4 studio following the Scottish party’s dismal poll results.

Appearing via video link in front of a stone in Aberdeen, Mr Flynn, who was elected to Aberdeen South, told Maitlis that the SNP needed to “navigate a way forward” to be able to earn back trust.

Maitlis replied by saying: “You look like you’re in a cemetery, I mean is this a metaphor?”

The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn celebrates after being declared the winner of the Aberdeen South constituency
The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn celebrates after being declared the winner of the Aberdeen South constituency (Michal Wachucik/PA)

Her co-presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who regularly anchors Channel 4 News coverage, started laughing at the remark while touching the front of his head.

Mr Flynn said: “It’s the BBC broadcasting gardens but I don’t want to cast any aspersions… It’s quite nice.”

Guru-Murthy chimed in, saying: “It’s the same thing.”

Maitlis then appeared to be laughing while putting her head in her hands and Guru-Murthy continued to crack up.

Mr Flynn seemed to joke it could be “Channel 4”, before saying: “It’s been a very tough night.”

The SNP lost dozens of MPs in the General Election, dropping from 48 to just nine, with Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire left to declare in Scotland.

Maitlis, who famously interviewed the Duke of York for Newsnight, left the BBC to begin a Global podcast called The News Agents, which she co-hosts with former BBC journalists Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall.

She was recently portrayed by American actress Gillian Anderson in the Netflix film Scoop and will be depicted in Prime Video show A Very Royal Scandal, which Maitlis executively produces, by British actress Ruth Wilson.