LONDON (Daily Point) — During the noon broadcast of the BBC News bulletin on Wednesday, Maryam Moshiri, a prominent BBC News presenter, inadvertently found herself at the center of attention after she was captured on camera raising her middle finger and eyebrows following the program’s countdown.
The incident quickly circulated on Twitter, drawing attention and prompting Moshiri to clarify the situation and offer an apology. She explained that the gesture was part of a private joke with friends in the gallery, involving a countdown with her fingers that concluded with the unintentional offensive sign.
Moshiri expressed regret, stating, “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.”
While some viewers criticized Moshiri, deeming the incident unprofessional and using it to call for the BBC to lose funding, others offered sympathy and found humor in the situation. One supporter even humorously demanded more of such behavior as a BBC license payer.
The story recalled a similar incident in 2010 when weatherman Schafernaker playfully made a similar gesture towards news presenter Simon McCoy. The episode became iconic, contributing to Schafernaker’s enduring popularity over the years.
