She has become known for transforming ordinary news segments into popular online sensations through her unusual and occasionally disputed on-air behavior.
And BBCPresenter Maryam Moshiri has once again had her audience laughing uncontrollably with an extremely lively segment on tracking daily steps.
During her Thursday segment, the 47-year-old host prompted audience movement as she spoke with a health expert about whether striving for 10,000 steps per day could be excessive.
As the camera focuses on the studio, Ms Moshiri is seen jumping in place and stating: “I’m going to increase my steps. Yes, I’m doing this, don’t laugh.”
A group of support staff at BBC News is soon seen through the glass screen in the background moving back and forth among the office computers.
And ooh, I see the newsroom has gotten involved too,” Ms. Moshiri says. “And while we have the newsroom speak with us, let’s speak with Borja Del Pozo-Cruz.
At this moment, the interviewee comes onto the screen through a video call—throughout, Ms. Moshiri keeps up her spontaneous workout.
Hardly pausing, she remarks, “Borja, I’m going to attempt to increase my steps because, you know, that’s just how I am—and my team is also giving their all. Can I ask what specifically led you to begin this research?”
As Del Pozo-Cruz explains why 7,000 steps is more attainable and less daunting for individuals aiming to improve their health, the noise of Moshiri’s continuous stomping can be heard from off-screen.
As she poses her following question, she keeps up with the exercise routine and spins around to look at the newsroom, ensuring her team isn’t taking it easy.
My team is still doing this, as I am,” she adds. “Are you saying this encourages people to exercise more because they don’t feel they need to do as much as they did before?
“Why did it shift from – I’m starting to feel out of breath now, so unfit…” she says, struggling slightly with her words but showing no indication of stopping her workout routine.
My group is…helping the community through walking…can I check what the team in the gallery is doing at this moment, please, can I?
Like turkeys voting for Christmas, the gallery staff switch the camera to show themselves in the back room and are harshly ridiculed for standing there, performing their duties so passively.
Hey, wake up!” Ms Moshiri says. “C’mon. You need to increase your step count…
The team stands up next, keeping their eyes on the camera display to ensure the show continues as they obey the host’s instructions.
“…And…1,2,3,4…who’s the best in the world,” the host says as the gallery team join the growing list of BBC employees participating in the exercise.
Fitness professionals, social media personalities, and wearable devices have traditionally promoted 10,000 steps per day as the ideal target to prevent weight gain, cancer, and premature mortality.
However, 10,000 steps, which is about five miles, may not be the ideal target. In fact, scientists in Australia recommend setting a lower goal.
A recent review of almost 60 studies revealed that taking 7,000 steps daily can help reduce the risk of dementia, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. This equates to approximately 3.5 miles.
The BBC News anchor has turned her unexpected live performances into a bit of a humorous tradition—against the wishes of her producer.
The host imitated a peacock during a report last month, raising her hands to her ears and producing a high-pitched screeching noise.
The amusing impersonation was followed by a news segment detailing a troublesome peacock causing chaos in Wiltshire with its loud cries and habit of destroying vegetable gardens.
She began the impression by saying, “I’ve been explicitly told by my producer not to do an impression of a peacock, so I’m going to do it anyway.”
“There we go, how incredible is that,” she said later.
Ms. Moshiri replied to a viral video featuring the impersonation by stating, “waiting for that call from BBC2, inviting me to host my own birdwatching show… Errrrr… still waiting.”
This isn’t the first time she has experimented with bird sounds, as she tried imitating a seagull while covering Seagull Boy’s story last year, who had received an award for his imitation of the animal.
The news presenter gained widespread online popularity over the past 18 months due to her on-air mistakes, straight-faced humor, and willingness to make fun of herself.
Ms. Moshiri initially created a stir in December 2023 by flashing her middle finger to the camera prior to announcing the top news headlines of the hour.
In a longer video posted following the mistake, Ms. Moshiri was captured performing a series of over-the-top hand movements before counting to ‘one’ and seemingly giving the finger to the camera.
The experienced host mentioned that the mistake was a “private joke” among the team and offered an apology following the live broadcast of the clip’s conclusion.
She mentioned: “I was having some fun with the team in the gallery.”
I was faking the countdown while the director was counting me down from 10 to 0, using my fingers to indicate the numbers. So, starting with ten fingers raised and going down to one.
When we reached 1, I turned my finger around as a joke and didn’t realize this would be captured on camera. It was a private joke among the team, and I’m truly sorry it ended up on television […] I wasn’t ‘flipping the bird’ at viewers or even at a specific person.
She later denied that she or the BBC had shared the extended video, stating on Twitter: “So someone released the full video! It wasn’t the BBC who put this out and it definitely wasn’t me!”
But in a sense, I’m happy this is public, as it demonstrates that I was somewhat joking with the team during the countdown. Once more, I’m sorry it ended up on air. It was intended to be a private joke.
Although it generated controversy at the time, Ms Moshiri managed to mock the scandal by creating a fake New Year’s countdown, with her mistake displayed on the London Eye just weeks later.
She included a caption with the snap that said: “I’m letting someone else handle the countdown tonight! I’ll be at home with my family… wishing you all a fantastic New Year. May you all experience health and joy in 2024.”
In May of that year, Ms. Moshiri made Eurovision fans happy after experiencing another on-air incident.
The speaker was observed swatting her assistant as he attempted to adjust the host’s hair once the cameras began recording.
She then recovers from the mistake and presents the start of the news report hours before the contest begins.
In reply to the post on X that highlighted the confusion, Ms Moshiri stated: “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this occurred. There was a delay and everyone was so concerned about my disheveled hair! @MarvinNadalutti, your hand is well-known!”
In other entertaining live performances, Ms. Moshiri has twisted a metal spoon as a demonstration of strength during a segment that featured a man crushing a frying pan with his bare hands, as well as attempting to illustrate the size of a blue moon.
Regrettably, she didn’t have any video or image to present to the audience at that moment, which might have left some individuals unsatisfied – however, she had an alternative strategy.
She raised her hands in front of her, forming a spherical shape, and said to her audience, “It somewhat resembled this, there you go.”
She experienced a coughing episode while reading the bulletin, but eventually had to ‘give up’ and switch to the news segment.
Going to X to clarify her latest mistake, she wrote: “When you have that awful ticklish throat and a coughing attack – but you’re on air! Had to stop after a while!”
Thanks to director Sarah for getting the clip for me early!!
