BBC presenter apologises after middle finger blunder live on-air
BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has apologised after she was caught giving the middle finger to the camera.
Moshiri went viral after the opening titles for the news cut to the studio where she was seen flipping the bird, before quickly bringing her hand down and getting on with reading the headlines
On her Twitter/X account, Moshiri apologised for the moment and tried to explain that the gesture was just a "private joke" between her and the production team.
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…— Maryam Moshiri (@BBCMaryam) December 7, 2023
Related: The One Show's Alex Jones makes awkward live blunder with Sex Education's Asa Butterfield
"Hey everyone, yesterday just before the top of the hour I was joking around a bit with the team in the gallery," she wrote. "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."
Related: BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood dragged to floor by dog in live TV blunder
While some people called it unprofessional, plenty of others saw the funny side of it. Comedian and Doctor Who: Doom's Day actress Sooz Kempner wrote "It was the best news I've seen all year and thank you for doing it."
Blunders happen on live TV often, with weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker giving the middle finger to co-star Simon McCoy during a classic moment that gets brought up whenever someone does a round-up.
You Might Also Like
