Live television is unpredictable, and even the most experienced presenters can occasionally find themselves at the centre of an unexpected on-air moment. That was certainly the case in December 2023 when a brief clip from a BBC News broadcast went viral after a presenter was seen raising her middle finger just before beginning a live bulletin.

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Live television is unpredictable, and even the most experienced presenters can occasionally find themselves at the centre of an unexpected on-air moment. That was certainly the case in December 2023 when a brief clip from a BBC News broadcast went viral after a presenter was seen raising her middle finger just before beginning a live bulletin.

The presenter involved was Maryam Moshiri, a senior journalist who regularly hosts programmes on the BBC News channel. During the start of a live broadcast, cameras began rolling just moments before the official start of the news bulletin. In the seconds before she began reading the headlines, viewers noticed that she appeared to be joking with colleagues in the studio and raised her middle finger toward the camera.

The gesture lasted only a moment. As the broadcast began, Moshiri immediately composed herself and began delivering the news in a professional tone, moving straight into the day’s headlines. However, the brief clip quickly spread across social media, with many viewers surprised by the unusual moment on what is normally a highly controlled and formal news programme.

Shortly after the clip began circulating online, Moshiri addressed the incident publicly. She explained that the gesture had been part of a private joke with members of the production team during the countdown to going live. According to her explanation, she had been playfully counting down the seconds using her fingers as the director counted down from ten to one. When the countdown reached one, she jokingly turned her finger around without realising the camera had already cut to the live shot.

In a message posted on social media, she apologised to viewers for the moment, describing it as a “silly joke” intended only for colleagues in the studio and not something meant to be seen by the public. She also stressed that the gesture was not directed at viewers or anyone in particular.

Despite the brief embarrassment, the incident was largely treated with humour by many online. Clips of the moment were widely shared, and some viewers commented on how quickly she recovered and continued presenting the news without missing a beat. Live television, after all, rarely offers the chance for a second take.

Moments like this highlight just how challenging live broadcasting can be. Even with experienced presenters and carefully managed studio environments, unexpected situations can occur in the seconds before a programme officially begins.

In the end, the moment became one of those memorable live-TV bloopers that quickly spreads across the internet before fading away. For viewers, it was a reminder that behind the professional presentation of major news broadcasts are real people working in fast-paced live environments where mistakes — or jokes that go wrong — can occasionally slip through.