Hurrah a nibble!!!!!!
The reason the 'tension in the ops room was palpable' should be obvious. If you were partcipating in an event which could result in the death of hundreds of innocent people within relatively few minutes, you might be a bit tense, too. The people on the telly weren't taking themselves seriously, they were taking their job seriously.
that is all the more reason to ensure that the entire team are calm and ordered. Shouting causes stress and confusion and clouds the picture.
But as I said in my original post...a good bit of
PR!
Keep your tounge out.