A blunder possibly seen by millions of viewers. For almost two weeks, a BBC presenter has been making headlines in the United Kingdom after giving the middle finger to the camera, just before the introduction of her newscast. A gesture that was a "joke", she explained on Friday, after the full images of her clumsiness were released.
In the aftermath of her blunder on December 7, Maryam Moshiri, a presenter for the British news channel BBC News, had already apologized after a video showing her giving the middle finger went viral online. In the excerpt, which is a few seconds short, she was seen making the controversial gesture in front of the camera with a mutinous air before resuming, with a more serious look, the announcement of her bulletin.
The full clip of the BBC presenter giving a middle finger has just come out pic.twitter.com/nuCuyGe7A8
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) December 15, 2023
"I was joking around a bit with the team," she explained at the time, claiming that she was "pretending to count backwards" with her fingers before the start of her report card, and therefore using the middle finger as her No. 1. "It was a private joke with the crew and I'm so sorry it was aired!" she insisted.
A blunder between colleagues
However, the excerpt did not show the famous length countdown. On Friday, Maryam Moshiri confirmed the broadcast, on social networks, of another excerpt showing, this time, the entire count in front of the camera... Which confirms, therefore, the explanation of his blunder: it was a clumsy and clumsy joke made between colleagues, before the dissemination of information.
The full clip of the BBC presenter giving a middle finger has just come out pic.twitter.com/nuCuyGe7A8
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) December 15, 2023
"So, someone put out the full video! It wasn't the BBC that aired this excerpt and it certainly wasn't me! " she says on X about the excerpt, which has also been shared on social networks, but whose origin remains unknown for the moment.
"But in a way, I think I'm glad it's there, because it shows that I was joking around a little bit with the team during the countdown. Again, sorry this was broadcast live. It must have been a joke in private," the journalist insists.
This is not the first gaffe made by a BBC live presenter, the Guardian points out. In 2010, weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker also gave the middle finger to his colleagues during a live broadcast, before awkwardly trying to make up for it by scratching his chin.