BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri has taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to apologise for making a rude hand gesture live on air. During the program, Maryam was caught giving the middle finger to the camera and pulling a funny face before she realised that she was on air and professionally read the news.
Posting an explanation about the moment, which swiftly went viral on social media, 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.
"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."
Her amused followers were quick to reply, with one writing: "Don’t worry about it! Clear you were only having a moment of levity with crew," while another person added: "I mean it ain't that serious..it's hilarious. I don't think there is a need for apology."
The line-up of BBC Breakfast presenters
© BBC- Charlie Stayt
The journalist joined BBC Breakfast back in 2006 and now hosts the show alongside Naga Munchetty from Thursday to Saturday. Prior to joining the BBC, Charlie was the principal anchor of Five News, fronting the programme's 9/11 coverage and Millennium celebrations. - Naga Munchetty
The presenter joined the line-up of main presenters in 2014. Before landing a role on BBC Breakfast, she appeared on BBC World News, as well as BBC Two's weekday financial affairs programme, Working Lunch. - Sally Nugent
Sally has been a main presenter on the show since 2021, replacing Louise Minchin following her departure after 20 years. Sally previously worked as a sports presenter on the show and covered various major sporting events for the BBC, including Emma Raducanu's historic victory in the US Open tennis championship in 2021. - Jon Kay
The newsreader and journalist took over from Dan Walker following his exit in 2022. He previously worked as a news correspondent for BBC News at Six and covered major events such as the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 general election campaign. - Carol Kirkwood
Carol is the show's main weather presenter and has been waking up the nation with the weather forecast on the BBC for 30 years. - Nina Warhurst
Nina is the show's main business presenter, having taken over from Steph McGovern in 2020. She often fills in as an anchor on the red sofa when the main hosts are absent. - Ben Thompson
Ben is a relief presenter and regularly stands in for the main hosts when they are away from the red sofa. He can also be seen on BBC News. - John Watson
John is a sports presenter and has been working for the BBC since 2012, providing viewers will all the latest sports news and stories.
Others weren’t quite so impressed, with one writing: "This isn’t satire, an actual BBC News presenter got caught giving the middle finger live. Maryam Moshiri summing up the professionalism currently at the BBC." Another person added: "Presenter Maryam Moshiri - summing up BBC professionalism and integrity in action. This is what you pay your licence fee for."
Either way, the image has swiftly picked up in popularity of social media, becoming a popular meme among users, with one fan even suggested that Maryam make it her new profile picture on Twitter.
