BBC 6 Music Denies Hijacking Radio 4 With The Undertones

The BBC has denied that 6 Music hijacked Radio 4 last night after a song by The Undertones briefly aired on the music-free station.

The track was played between the news and Radio 4's staple 7pm show, The Archers.

Its appearance led to online speculation that 6 Music employees – disgruntled at the BBC's plans to close the station – had sabotaged Radio 4 as an act of revenge.

But a spokesperson for the BBC blamed the disruption on a “technical error”.

"Owing to a technical error Radio 4 transmission was lost for approximately 3 minutes this evening shortly after 7pm,” the spokesperson said.

“We are very sorry to listeners for loss of service."

Earlier this month, BBC Director General Mark Thompson outlined 6 Music and the Asian Network for closure as part of cost-cutting measures.

The plans have outraged both digital stations' listeners and led to high-profile campaigns to save them.