Maryam Moshiri's BBC middle-finger clip
Moment · 2023 · Notable
A BBC countdown joke became a clip with 5.9M impressions on BNO’s X repost.
The TV Room
@thetvroom · Dec 6, 2023
Been a while since a middle finger gesture made it on to BBC News...
BNO News Live
@BNODesk · Dec 6, 2023
WATCH: BBC News opens with anchor Maryam Moshiri giving the middle finger
Maryam Moshiri
@BBCMaryam · Dec 7, 2023
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
UB1UB2 West London (Southall)
@UB1UB2 · Dec 15, 2023
The full clip of the BBC presenter giving a middle finger has just come out
Maryam Moshiri
@BBCMaryam · Dec 15, 2023
So someone released the full video ! It wasn’t the BBC who released this and it certainly wasn’t me! But in a way I think I’m glad this is out there, as it shows I WAS having a bit of a joke with the crew during the countdown. Again, so sorry it went out on air. It was meant
Scott Bryan
@scottygb · Jan 1, 2024
Happy new year @BBCMaryam
Piers Morgan
@piersmorgan · Dec 7, 2023
We’ve all done it Maryam… (well, I have anyway). Thanks for giving us a good laugh.
Maryam Moshiri@BBCMaryam
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
Specsavers
@Specsavers · Dec 7, 2023
We're with you, Maryam. If you are struggling to see the countdown, let us know.
Spread Score
How it worksNumbers
- Apology text post: live X impressions
- 6.9M
- As of Oct 14, 2026 · X · Self-reported · Maryam Moshiri / X
- Seed to peak
- 1 day
- Dec 6 ’23 to Dec 7 ’23
- Platforms
- 5
- Started on X
- Origin
- Organic
- Media & publishing
How it spread
Trace the originAn accidental BBC countdown gesture circulated as a clipped X video. Moshiri apologised, and the Conservatives reused her image in a migration attack. A longer clip explained the joke; DJs later used its countdown at New Year’s parties.
14 more events on this chart
Join free to see themTimeline (17)
December 2023
Maryam Moshiri precursor · Dec 6 ’23
Moshiri held up her middle finger as the midday BBC News world feed began.[1]
The TV Room (@cleanfeed_ttvr, now @thetvroom) seed · Dec 6 ’23
The TV Room posted the clipped gesture on X.[2]
BNO News Live (@BNODesk) platform jump · Dec 6 ’23
BNO News Live reposted the BBC clip to its breaking-news audience.[3]
Changelogupdated Oct 16 ’26
- Added 1 number
- Added: 16 events, 20 sources · Score 40 · Fact-check passed (32 claims)
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