Viral footage shows a BBC News anchor – who is seemingly unaware she is live on air – flashing her middle finger as she opens a bulletin.
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.
Moshiri, 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.
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.
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, 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, Schafernaker was seen raising his middle finger to McCoy in a gesture.
Instantly realising his mistake, 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, 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,’ Moshiri told viewers in a panic.
The presenter improvised, holding her hands up to make a circle shape – meant to signify a full moon.
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.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
