That time a BBC anchor realized too late the camera was already live 💀

Overall assessment: Mostly Reliable

The video accurately describes the core incident involving BBC anchor Maryam Moshiri, her on-air gesture, and her quick transition to news delivery. Most of the specific details about the event, including her identity, the timing, and the nature of her gesture, are confirmed by multiple sources. However, some claims regarding the video's virality and its original sharing details are unverified or not fully supported by the evidence.

  • Unverifiable claims about the video's original sharing and specific view counts.
  • Unverifiable claims about the precise timing and nature of facial expressions.

Claims (12)

A BBC anchor realized too late that the camera was already live.

True — Multiple sources, including news reports and social media videos, confirm that a BBC anchor was caught on camera making a gesture, seemingly unaware that the broadcast had gone live. The footage shows her quickly changing her expression once she realized she was on air.

The incident involves chief BBC News presenter and reporter Maryam Moshiri.

True — Several reputable news outlets and other sources explicitly identify Maryam Moshiri, a chief presenter for BBC News, as the individual involved in the incident. Her role as a chief presenter is also confirmed.

The video shows Maryam Moshiri engaging in a playful, silent countdown with the production gallery crew.

True — Maryam Moshiri herself stated that the gesture was a 'private joke' with the team, and the BBC released the full footage to show she was 'just counting.' This supports the claim that she was engaging in a playful countdown with the crew, which accidentally went live.

Maryam Moshiri pretended to count down from ten to one using her hands.

True — Multiple news sources, including The Guardian and CBS News, confirm that Maryam Moshiri was indeed pretending to count down from ten to one with her fingers. She herself stated on X (formerly Twitter) that she was counting down from 10-0 with her fingers as the director counted her down.

Maryam Moshiri flashed a gesture right as the intro graphics ended.

True — Evidence from multiple news outlets confirms that Maryam Moshiri made the gesture right as the intro graphics concluded and the broadcast transitioned to her. The Mirror, as reported by Nottinghamshire Live, and Adweek both state that the gesture occurred as she came on screen when the intro music ended.

Maryam Moshiri was unaware that the live feed had already switched over to her desk.

True — Several news reports and Moshiri's own apology confirm she was unaware she was live. She stated it was a "silly joke" meant for friends and not for a live broadcast, indicating she did not realize the camera had switched to her.

Maryam Moshiri switched her facial expression from a smirk to a dead-pan serious news delivery in less than a second.

Unverifiable — While Maryam Moshiri was indeed joking around and then quickly transitioned to a serious news delivery, the provided evidence does not specifically detail the exact timing or the specific facial expressions (smirk to dead-pan) in less than a second. The claim about the speed and specific expressions is not directly supported by the snippets, though the general sequence of events is consistent with a quick transition.

Maryam Moshiri read out breaking headlines about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

True — Multiple reputable news sources confirm that Maryam Moshiri, after making an on-air gesture, quickly transitioned to reading headlines about Boris Johnson's appearance at the Covid inquiry. This indicates she did indeed read breaking headlines concerning the former Prime Minister.

The video was originally shared across social media networks like Instagram via user 'fboy' with a laughing emoji caption.

Unverifiable — The provided evidence includes Instagram links related to Maryam Moshiri's blooper, but none of them confirm that the video was *originally* shared by a user named 'fboy' with a laughing emoji caption. The Instagram links provided do not offer details about the original poster or caption.

The video was posted on YouTube by creator Foeko on 2026-06-27.

Unverifiable — The claim states the video was posted on 2026-06-27. As today's date is 2026-06-29, this date is in the past. However, the provided evidence only confirms the existence of a YouTube creator named Foeko but does not include any specific video upload dates or confirm that this particular video was posted by Foeko on that date.