BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri baffles viewers as she 'squawks like a bird' live on air

BBC News viewers were left scratching their heads when presenter Maryam Moshiri suddenly broke into a bird call during her live broadcast. The newsreader, who became an internet sensation last year due to a swearing mishap, humorously suggested she might be shown the door for her antics after letting out the comedic caw.

Just months after flipping the bird on live TV, the broadcaster decided it was time to mimic a bird while delivering the news on Wednesday night.

Maryam was hit by a sudden wave of inspiration, remembering a young boy who had showcased his seagull impression on BBC Breakfast earlier in the day. She announced: "I can feel that you really want me to do an impression of a seagull, so I'm going to give it a go."

Maryam then let out a squawk, but her bird-like efforts didn't quite match up to the standard set by nine-year-old Cooper. After her squawk, she laughed and asked, "Is that okay? " before jokingly adding, "I'm hearing in my ear that I've been sacked. Oh well. C'est la vie, as they say."

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Without skipping a beat, she carried on with the latest updates on former American president Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York, but viewers at home weren't quite ready to move on from her bird-like squawk. "Maryam Moshiri doing a seagull impression live on BBC News is probably the greatest thing I've seen all week, to be honest," one declared on Twitter (X), reports the Mirror.

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Maryam Moshiri doing her bird impression live on-air (Image: BBC)

"In my head, my TV license this year went to this and only this, and I'm very happy for it," another satisfied viewer remarked, while a third fan declared: "Maryam is a national treasure and as I have said before she should be asked to front the general election night coverage."

Maryam has become well-known for her on-air blunders, including a memorable incident last December when she was caught on camera swearing. The esteemed journalist was seen giving the middle finger to the camera before starting her news segment.

The footage of Maryam, seemingly oblivious to being live, showing her middle finger became an internet sensation.

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In the footage, Maryam is observed arching her eyebrows and tilting her head as she slyly gives the camera the bird during the fading intro music.

It seems she doesn't immediately realise that she's actually broadcasting live as she swiftly pulls back her hand, puts on a grave face, and starts reading the news.

She then transitions into a more formal manner, stating: "Live from London, this is BBC News," and continues with the broadcast's top stories. Following the incident where she was spotted making the offensive sign at the camera, Maryam issued an apology and explanation.

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She took to X and wrote: "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 we got to 1 I turned my finger around as a joke and did not realise that this would be caught on camera. It was a private joke with the team and 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.

"I wasn't ' flipping the bird' at viewers or even a person really. It was a silly joke that was meant for a small number of my mates."