BBC presenter APOLOGISES after giving the middle finger live on air

BBC presenter APOLOGISES after giving the middle finger live on air

December 7, 2023

BBC presenter APOLOGISES after she was caught giving the middle finger to the camera live on air in ‘private joke with the team’

  • Maryam Moshiri was seen making the gesture at lunchtime on Wednesday 

A BBC news anchor has apologised after being caught giving the middle finger to the camera live on air in a ‘private joke’ as opened a top of the hour news bulletin. 

In viral footage Maryam Moshiri can be seen raising her eyebrows and flipping off the camera as she comes on-screen after the programme’s famous musical countdown ends.

Ms Moshiri, 46, one of the network’s chief presenters, seems to quickly realise she is live and snatches her hand away before beginning to read out the headlines about Boris Johnson.

‘Live from London, this is BBC News,’ she says, having swiftly adopted a more serious demeanour.

This morning she has issued an apology on social media saying she ‘did not realise’ the moment would be caught on camera and she is ‘sorry if I offended or upset anyone’.


The chief presenter seems to quickly realise she is live and snatches her hand away, adopting a more appropriate demeanor as she begins to read out the headlines 

Ms Moshiri said: ‘Hey everyone, yesterday just before the top of the hour I was joking around a bit with the team in the gallery. 

‘I was pretending to count down as the director was counting me down from 10-0… including the fingers to show the number. 

‘So from 10 fingers held up to one. When we got to 1 I turned finger around as a joke and did not realise that this would be caught on camera. 

‘It was a private joke with the team and I’m so sorry it went out on air! It was not my intention for this to happen and I’m sorry if I offended or upset anyone. 

‘I wasn’t ‘flipping the bird’ at viewers or even a person really. It was a silly joke that was meant for a small number of my mates.’

However in a sign she may have realised her hand gesture was aired, she fluffed the end of the headline, referring to the ‘coronaverse’ pandemic. 

The faux pas happened on the world feed of BBC News at 12 noon UK time on Wednesday. The channel in the UK was showing Prime Minister’s Questions, so the global audience took headlines delivered from London. 

Viewers have reacted online, with some suggesting that the motion showed a lack of professionalism while others joked that they felt the same about their work. 

Maryam Moshiri was announced as part of a new lineup of top BBC News channel presenters back in February

It was 7am where Twitter/X user NeilFleisc79365 was when he captured the moment, posting it online with the caption: ‘Wow’

Ms Moshiri spent a long stint as the BBC’s business news presenter, interviewing some of the most prominent CEOs in the world including Jeff Bezos. 

It’s not be the first example of presenters swearing on BBC News, with the corporation forced to apologise after weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker made the same rude gesture. 

In 2010, Mr Schafernaker was about to do the weather forecast when news presenter Simon McCoy made a light-hearted remark. 

‘Now we will have the weather forecast in a minute and or course it will be 100 per cent accurate and provide all the detail you can possibly want,’ said McCoy. ‘I’ve just seen Tom Schafernaker preparing for it.’

In the belief that he was off-camera, Mr Schafernaker was seen raising his middle finger to McCoy in a gesture.

Instantly realising his mistake, Mr Schafernaker moved his hand to his face to disguise it, seemingly pretending to scratch his chin.

The clip has racked up millions of views online and cemented his place as one of the beeb’s most popular weathermen.

In September, Ms Moshiri made headlines with her hilarious impromptu depiction of a rare blue supermoon when a picture of the lunar event failed to appear on screen.

‘I’m so sorry, I don’t have a picture to show you,’ Ms Moshiri told viewers in a panic. 

In 2010, Schafernaker was about to present the weather forecast when he showed his middle finger to newsreader Simon McCoy 

In September, Moshiri made headlines with her hilarious impromptu depiction of a rare blue supermoon when a picture of the lunar event failed to appear on screen

The presenter improvised, holding her hands up to make a circle shape – meant to signify a full moon. 

Ms Moshiri was announced as part of a new lineup of top BBC News channel presenters back in February.

In July, it was announced that she would be taking over The Daily Global programme, which she continues to host alongside anchoring. 

The BBC has been contacted for comment. 

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