Watch the moment Peter Greste found out Al Jazeera colleague pardoned

Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was appearing on an Australian quiz show when he heard the news that Egypt had pardoned his colleague Mohamed Fahmy.

Greste, who was accused along with six other jounalists of operating without a license, spreading false information and colluding with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, spent more than 400 days in Egyptian prison before he was freed in February.

But his colleagues Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy remained incarcerated - until they were among 100 people pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and released on Wednesday.

As reports of the pardon emerged, Greste was a guest on The Chaser's Media Circus, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation comedy quiz show and was taped as the host shared the news with him.

"Oh my god," Greste said.

"We've just had some late breaking news here that Mohammed Fahmy has been pardoned in Egypt," the host explained, as the crowd applauded.

"If he's got a pardon, it means - and God I hope it means - that Bahar is out too," he said trailing off, appearing to hold back tears and then pumping his arms in the air.