A BBC newsreader who raised her middle finger to the camera while she was on air has apologised saying she was “joking around” with friends.
Maryam Moshiri shocked viewers of the world feed of BBC News at 12 noon UK time on Wednesday when she made the rude hand signal.
After realising her mistake, she took her finger down before launching into the headlines.
She said: “Live from London, this is BBC News.”
It appears she may have been thrown off by the realisation she may have been spotted, as she then mispronounced “coronavirus” as “coronaverse” seconds later.
The clip has gone viral, being shared repeatedly on X, formerly Twitter. Some joked they felt exactly the same about their own lines of work, while others claimed it was a sign the BBC was contemptuous of its audience.
Ms Moshiri later took to X to explain. The full statement read: “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 (my) finger around as a joke and did not realise that this would be caught on camera.
“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.”
The incident has received a mixed response, with many calling the stunt unprofessional.
However, others could see the funny side, hailing her as a “legend”.
