BBC news anchor flips middle finger on live TV, goes back to headlines. Video

Maryam Moshiri is Chief Presenter at BBC. (Image: @BBCMaryam/X)

In an unexpected and eyebrow-raising moment, BBC News anchor Maryam Moshiri found herself unwittingly making headlines as viral footage surfaced of her flashing a middle finger during a live broadcast. The incident, which occurred during the network's 12 noon bulletin, captured the attention of viewers worldwide, prompting an apology from Moshiri.

Moshiri, a prominent figure in the BBC News team, appeared momentarily unaware of being on air, creating a stir as she quickly shifted from a casual demeanor to presenting headlines about Boris Johnson.

The footage reveals Moshiri's candid moment of flipping off the camera after the program's iconic musical countdown. Despite the swift recovery into a more serious tone, her slip-up continued as she stumbled over words while addressing the 'coronaverse' pandemic. The incident unfolded during the global broadcast of BBC News, with the UK channel airing Prime Minister's Questions at the time.

This isn’t satire, an actual BBC News presenter got caught giving the middle finger live.

Maryam Moshiri summing up the professionalism currently at the BBC. pic.twitter.com/QoJ4FT133J

— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) December 7, 2023

She even explained the incident on X calling it a "silly joke" meant for a  "small number" of her friends.

"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," she wrote.

"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," she concluded.

Quirks seem to follow Moshiri, as evidenced by her impromptu depiction of a rare blue supermoon in September when technical glitches prevented an image from appearing on screen. The presenter, part of the revamped BBC News lineup announced in February, held her own by improvising a visual representation.

'I'm so sorry, I don't have a picture to show you,' Moshiri told viewers as she held up her hand to depict the moon.

This mishap, reminiscent of the 2010 incident involving weatherman Tomasz Schafernaker, who, in an off-camera moment, mirrored a similar gesture forcing the BBC to apologise.