BBC news anchor Maryam Moshiri hilariously signed off with Ron Burgundy's famous catchphrase after she made a live error reading the autocue while reporting on the topic of "dwindling hazel dormice."
The Ron Burgundy reference was a nod to Will Ferrell's main character from the 2004 comedy film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Before the miscue, Moshiri reported on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech at the Ukraine Recovery conference.
After showing live footage of the conference in Berlin with a translator interpreting the Ukrainian leader's speech, Moshiri told viewers:
"Well there you have the end of President Zelenskyy's speech to the Ukraine Recovery conference, shaking the hand of Olaf Scholz there, the German chancellor."
"He talked about companies supporting Ukraine, about moving forward. This is all about reconstruction. It is being held in Germany."
When President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stood to deliver her speech, Moshiri was informed the broadcaster would momentarily leave the conference but periodically check back in throughout the program.
She then switched things up on a lighter note.
"Now they are known for their big eyes and for being sleepy," said Moshiri before joking:
"Am I talking about myself here?"
She continued:
"No, sorry, no. Over the last 20 years hazel dormice—yes, hazel dormice—have declined by about 70% across the UK."
"It is hoped a new project which sees them re-released into their natural habit could help to restore their population."
Moshiri interrupted herself after a word on the teleprompter threw her off.
"Is it habit or habitat?" she asked. "I am probably going to get emails about this. Well, it is habit on the autocue so what can I say."
She then signed off:
"I am Ron Burgundy."
Viewers loved her recovery from the snafu.
Moshiri later commented on the miscue on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“I felt like a bit of a Ron Burgandy! Actually thought maybe ‘habit’ was a special word for a Dormouse’s ‘habitat.’"
"Sharply and quickly corrected by the team in my ear! What they put up with," she wrote, followed by crying-laughing and face-palm emojis.
Moshiri went viral last year when she inadvertently flipped the bird at the camera without realizing she was still on the air.
She later apologized for giving the middle finger, which was intended as an inside joke.
@Lozzomatic/X
"Hey everyone, yesterday just before the top of the hour I was joking around a bit with the team in the gallery," Moshiri wrote on X.
"I was pretending to count down as the director was counting me down from 10-0.. including the fingers to show the number."
She continued:
"So from 10 fingers held up to one. When we got to 1 I turned 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."
Moshiri also elicited viewer approval after she felt compelled to squawk like a seagull during a live broadcast in April after recalling a young man's demonstration of his seagull impression.
"Is that okay?" she asked, adding:
"I'm hearing that I've been sacked. Oh well. C'est la vie, as they say."
Move over, Ron Burgundy.
We have a new legend-in-the-making anchor in town.
