Scottish cabinet secretary for education Angela Constance asked to restart a live television interview.

With schooling emerging as the major theme at the Scottish Labour conference, it was only natural that SNP education secretary Angela Constance would want to capture the limelight.

But making a memorable TV gaffe on one of the country's agenda setting politics programme was perhaps not what Nicola Sturgeon had in mind when she sent the MSP on to the Sunday Politics to defend her party's record.
Ms Constance was discussing higher education policy, when she got muddled over saying "2012".

"We have to remember that in twenty thousand and twelve… sorry, 2012, sorry are we able to do that again?" she asked host Gordon Brewer. "I just said twenty thousand and twelve."

It was then that Ms Constance was told that the segment was going out live to the nation. "Oh right, OK, forgive me.

I thought it was a pre-record, forgive me," she said, after her jaw momentarily hit the floor. 

The MSP for Almond Valley, a defeated candidate in her party's deputy leadership race last year, then regained her composure and carried on the interview.

As the programme moved on to the following segment, Ms Constance could still be faintly heard on an open microphone explaining that she "didn't know it was live".

The clip of the gaffe, as well as the shot of the education secretary's expression after being told of her mishap, quickly began doing the rounds on social media.