BBC Anchor Flips Off Camera During Live Broadcast, Says It Was Only a Joke

A BBC news anchor got caught flipping off the camera while live on the air Wednesday -- but she claims it was all a "silly joke."

Maryam Moshiri -- one of the BBC's "chief presenters" -- was sitting behind the news desk shielded from the audience's view by the intro to her noon show -- a digital countdown mixed with other graphics.

At the end of the intro, Moshiri flashed on screen making a funny face with her head tilted to one side -- while flipping the bird.

She suddenly realized she was live on air and quickly abandoned her goofy behavior, turning serious as she dived into a story about former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologizing to the UK for the pain caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Moshiri issued her own apology after her embarrassing gaffe went viral on social media.

In a statement posted on X, Moshiri said she was sharing a "private joke with the team and I’m so sorry it went out on air!"

She continued, "It was not my intention for this to happen and I’m sorry if I offended or upset anyone."

She also insisted she was not "flipping the bird" to her viewers or anyone else -- and it was all a "silly joke" meant for a small number of colleagues.