BBC Dad’s viral interview blooper became internet history, his kids are all grown up now

There was a time when a serious television interview could be hijacked by a four-year-old in a bright yellow sweater and a baby in a walker.

Nearly nine years later, the children who turned their father's live BBC interview into one of the internet's most unforgettable moments are all grown up.

Robert Kelly, the South Korea-based academic and journalist who became famously known as ‘BBC Dad’, has shared a glimpse of his family nearly a decade after his children accidentally became internet celebrities.

Kelly recently posted a series of family photographs on social media, including pictures from a hike with his son James, time with his wife Jung-a Kim and a street festival outing.

However, it was the update about his children that caught the attention of people who still remember the viral interview.

‘Some BBC Dad content. It's been a while,’ Kelly wrote while sharing the photographs.

He revealed that James, who famously wandered into the room in his baby walker during the interview, is now 10.

His daughter Marion, whose unexpected entrance into the room first sent the internet into a frenzy, is now 13.

The interview that started it all

In March 2017, Kelly was appearing live on BBC News from his home office in Busan, South Korea, to discuss political developments when his daughter Marion casually walked into the room.

Wearing a bright yellow sweater, she confidently made her way towards her father's desk while Kelly tried to continue his serious analysis.

Then came her younger brother, James, rolling into the room in a walker.

Just as Kelly appeared to realise that his carefully controlled television interview had descended into family chaos, his wife rushed into the room and removed both children.

Kelly attempted to maintain a straight face and continue speaking, but the awkwardness of the moment made the clip instantly memorable.

‘Some BBC Dad content. It's been a while,’ Kelly wrote years later while giving followers a glimpse of the family today.

The original footage went on to attract tens of millions of views online and became one of the defining viral moments of the early webcam-interview era.

The clip gained another wave of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when working from home made interruptions by children, pets and family members a familiar experience for millions.

From viral toddlers to teenagers

What made Kelly's latest post particularly nostalgic was the realisation that the two children who once appeared as tiny figures in the background of a live news broadcast are now 13 and 10.

Social media users quickly filled the comments with memories of the original interview.

‘Absolutely my favourite video! Thank you for the update, Dad,’ one user wrote.

Another recalled watching the original broadcast and wished Kelly a happy birthday, while another said they still regularly watched the moment Marion came ‘strutting in’.

For many viewers, the new photographs offered something the original viral clip never could, a glimpse at what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

The famous BBC interview lasted only a few minutes, but the moment became an enduring piece of internet history.

Now, nearly nine years later, Kelly's latest family photographs have given the internet a chance to see just how quickly those viral toddlers have grown up.