BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri, who recently apologized for a gaffe captured at the beginning of a program, expressed relief at the full video being uploaded on social media.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, Moshiri, an Iranian-British woman, acknowledged the video’s release, stating, “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.”
Earlier this month, Moshiri faced criticism when she was caught making an inappropriate gesture at the start of the BBC’s Daily Global program. Having served as a Lead News Presenter for the BBC since 2003, she was announced as the chief presenter for the successful The Daily Global show in June 2023, which aimed to provide viewers with an in-depth rundown of significant stories from around the world.
The 10-second clip went viral online, eliciting varied reactions from social media users. Moshiri promptly apologized for what she described as a “silly joke” intended for friends and not for a live broadcast. In a post on December 7, she explained, “When we got to 1, I turned [my] finger around as a joke and did not realize that this would be caught on camera. 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.” She returned to work on December 10.
A new 13-second video now shows Moshiri making gestures approximately 10 seconds before the channel went on air, akin to sports players counting down before the start of a game, as seen in major cricket events.
In her post on X, which had garnered over 2.7 million views by Saturday morning, Moshiri clarified that neither the BBC nor she released the video. Nevertheless, she reiterated her apology for the gaffe, stating, “So sorry it went out on air. It was meant to be a private laugh.”
