BBC News anchor Maryam Moshiri has issued an apology, after being caught giving the middle finger to the camera live on air.
In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, the broadcaster flashed her middle finger at the start of Wednesday’s midday news bulletin.
After realising she was live on air, the presenter quickly dropped her hand before reading the headlines.
“Live from London, this is BBC news,” she said. “Britain’s former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson apologises for the pain and loss suffered in the UK during the first pandemic.”
Maryam has since taken to X to apologise for the embarrassing error.
She wrote: “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.”
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
“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,” she added.
Maryam joined the new line-up of BBC News Channel presenters in February, and took over The Daily Global programme in July.
