# Maryam Moshiri's BBC middle-finger clip

> A BBC countdown joke became a clip with 5.9M impressions on BNO’s X repost.

- Owner: Maryam Moshiri / BBC
- Kind: Moment
- Sector: Media & publishing
- Seed date: 2023-12-06
- Peak date: 2023-12-07
- Spread Score: 40 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Transgression, Controversy, Political adoption, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

An 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.

## Timeline

- 2023-12-06 — Maryam Moshiri (TV) — Moshiri held up her middle finger as the midday BBC News world feed began.
- 2023-12-06 — The TV Room (@cleanfeed_ttvr, now @thetvroom) (X) — The TV Room posted the clipped gesture on X.
- 2023-12-06 — BNO News Live (@BNODesk) (X) — BNO News Live reposted the BBC clip to its breaking-news audience.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/maryam-moshiri-middle-finger

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Maryam Moshiri's BBC middle-finger clip.” Case HIS-00683. Spread Score v1.2: 40/100. Updated 2026-10-14. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00683