BBC anchor's middle finger flash mishap triggers outrage, claims it was 'just a joke'

On Wednesday, noon Eastern Time, millions of viewers were fervently waiting for the principal broadcast of the BBC News report. As the countdown to the start of the program concluded, the host unexpectedly appeared on the screen, her eyebrows raised and her middle finger making a vulgar offhand gesture directly towards the camera. Following the finish of the countdown, the station's chief presenter, Maryam Moshiri, instantaneously resumed her usual serious and skilled demeanor.

The footage rapidly went viral, evoking public outrage. The host, a figure at the station for 20 years, clarified that the gesture was made in jest and was never intended to be broadcasted or to appear on air.

- I was joking with the crew and counting down with my fingers as the director was counting me down from 10 to 0 before going live. When we reached 1, I casually flipped the bird and did not realize it would be captured by the camera - the presenter explained.

A leaked video now displays the entire countdown. It features Maryam Moshiri, who counts down from 10 to 0 with her fingers, hamming it up along the way. At 1, she thrusts her middle finger in a playful gesture towards the camera. This exact moment regrettably made it onto the broadcast.

Several journalists showed their support for the presenter.

- All of us have made such inadvertent errors. The only difference, for most of us, it's not captured on a camera nor shared - commented Lisa Maynard-Atem.