A tale of two train wrecks. The first train wreck is revealed by the ever vigilant (and ever wonderful) News Sniffer Revisionista as it catalogues eighteen versions, 0 to 17, of BBC Views Online's original Queen walks out of photo session fabrication page.

Watch as the intial version is padded out with more so-called details, with a 'Tantrums and tiaras' section being added, moving revision by revision to the inevitable train wreck at the end, with the mealy-mouthed Beeboids grovelling apologetically, spinning away to downplay the damage and pass the buck as they go!

Highlights include:

• Version 6 - where the opening paragraphs:
  
  

  
  The Queen is seen storming off after a run-in with photographer Annie Leibovitz during a BBC documentary.
  

  
  Leibovitz tells the Queen she thinks her shot will look better without her crown but the Queen says: "I'm not changing anything" and walks off.
  

  
  
  ...suddenly become:
  
  

  
  The BBC has apologised to the Queen after clips implied Her Majesty walked out of a photography session with Annie Leibovitz during a documentary.
  

  
  "In this trailer there is a sequence that implies that the Queen left a sitting prematurely," the BBC said.
  

  
  "This was not the case and the actual sequence of events was mis-represented," the statement added.
  

  
  "The BBC would like to apologise to both the Queen and Annie Leibovitz for any upset this may have caused".
  

  
  
  
  
  
• Version 7 - where the second paragraph is spun to accuse the Queen of having "an altercation with Leibovitz" - which is clearly not the case - another BBC fabrication.
  

   
  
  

• Version 8 - where the 'altercation' spin is removed, and a dollop of new spin is added, including this gem:
  
  

  
  The BBC said the clips for the trailer were "not intended to provide a full picture of what actually happened or of what will be shown in the final programme".
  

  
  

  Oh yeah, like we believe that!
  
  
  
  

• Version 17 - where another dollop of spin is applied as:
  
  

  
  The BBC has apologised to the Queen for wrongly implying she walked out of a portrait session with photographer Annie Leibovitz during a documentary.
  

  
  
  

  ...is amended to become:
  
  

  
  The BBC has apologised to the Queen for mistakenly showing footage that wrongly implied she walked out of a portrait session during a documentary.
  

  
  
  

  ...did you spot that addition? You'd think Peter Fincham would have known what pressing 'Play' would do in room full of journalists, wouldn't you? There's more:
  
  

  
  The footage, revealed to the press on Wednesday, was not intended to be seen and was shown in error, the BBC said.
  

  
  
  

  Ah yes, that chestnut - it was all a mistake - we edited the clips to switch them around and fabricated the Queen's alleged storming out quite by accident - could happen to anyone, don'tcha know!
  

Courtesy of BBC Top Gear, here is our second train wreck - an apt metaphor for this week's events, as we see the BBC's remaining credibility stalled on a railway line, with the engine of public opinon approaching...

 

Oh dear Peter - if that clip's accurate it looks like your car(eer) and the BBC's reputation will need a bit more than a patch-up and a respray...