Overview

• The BBC apologised, pulled the episode from iPlayer, removed the inaccurate segment, and reuploaded the programme without the claim.
• Host Victoria Coren Mitchell acknowledged on X that the assertion about Multiverse was incorrect and said it was a question she was given to ask.
• Full Fact debunked the claim and traced it to viral social posts, citing confirmations from both government sources and Multiverse.
• The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it expects the digital ID to be designed, built and run by in-house government teams, with a public consultation planned.
• Multiverse describes itself as an upskilling and apprenticeship provider rather than a software developer, and there is no evidence it is involved in the project.