BBC's Andrew Potter left drenched as star exposes 'truth' of Olympic ...

Andrew Cotter has exposed the far from glamorous 'truth' of his job as an Olympic commentator, as he and co-star Hazel Irvine were left open to the elements on a wet Friday night in Paris for the opening ceremony.

Following in the footsteps of recent Olympics host cities London, Rio and Tokyo, who hosted the Games a year later than planned due to the Covid pandemic, the French capital has picked up the baton this year, with the eyes of the world falling on the famous city on Friday, as the much watched event kicked off with its opening ceremony.

BBC coverage of the star studded and very elaborate spectacle was anchored by Clare Balding, before she handed over to Andrew and Hazel in the commentary box to deliver insights into the ceremony, which was focused on the River Seine and surrounding area, as teams from all the competing nations appeared on boats.

READ MORE: Hazel Irvine sparks major BBC demand after Olympics live coverage blow

An early highlight for viewers watching at home was a performance by music icon Lady Gaga, which while blighted by sound issues, certainly got a lot of people talking, as the singer delivered a rendition of French anthem Mon Truc en Plume.

At various points during the live broadcast, Hazel spoke about the rain 'hammering' and 'lashing' down and it wasn't just the athletes and star performers who felt the brunt of it, as she and Andrew also got a soaking, with him telling viewers at home: "The rain continues to pour down on us here."

It was Andrew who revealed that the pair would be left open to any bad weather, when he took to X earlier on in the day, to post a view of the outdoor commentary area close to the iconic Eiffel Tower. Filming from the comfort of the indoor BBC set, Andrew wrote: "On air tonight at 6.45 on BBC1. Commentary position is down there by the Tower. Taking waterproofs."

One of his followers replied: "any true Scot always has waterproofs close to hand!" as another responded: "So pleased you’re on commentary! Surely as a Scottish hill walker tonight’s weather will merely be a light clearing up shower…"