Ex-BBC presenter Samira Ahmed is ridiculed for complaining to advertising watchdog over The Mummy film poster because of 'impact on children'

By KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:00, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 12:08, 16 April 2026 Samira Ahmed has been ridiculed after she made an official complaint over a tube station poster advertising The Mummy movie because of its 'impact' on children.  The former BBC presenter, 57, argued the poster - which shows a close-up image of a mummified child - could affect both kids and bereaved parents.  Ms Ahmed told her social media followers she submitted a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority after deeming the ad showed 'little consideration' for viewers.   But the broadcaster has been mocked by a string of commenters over the complaint, with some branding her a 'snowflake' and accusing her of 'virtue signalling'.  'Should I put on a jacket, I feel like there's a blizzard about to start from a few snowflakes!', one joked.  'I personally don't see the problem. It's a poster for a f****** movie,' another said.  'Possibly the most woke tweet since Twitter began,' a third added.  However, other commenters agreed with the presenter, claiming the poster had scared their own children.  Samira Ahmed has made an official complaint over a tube station poster advertising The Mummy movie because of its 'impact' on children One woman wrote: 'I'm usually very chilled about ads, but I have to echo Samira's sentiment. This absolutely terrified my three-year-old last week. No fast food, no women wearing sheer tights, but horror is fine?' The woman referred to the UK-wide advertising ban on fast food, which came into force in January.  Fashion advertisements are also subject to strict guidelines regarding irresponsible imagery or promoting unhealthy body images.  Commenting on The Mummy poster, another viewer wrote: 'It's a photo-realistic image of a child corpse. If people can't understand how that might be distressing, it says far more about their brain rot than anything else.'  A third said: 'I agree. My daughters would have been terrified by that picture when they were young. We would have had nights of crying and being too scared to sleep.'  The posters were put up in London tube stations to advertise Lee Cronin's The Mummy, which will be released in cinemas tomorrow.  In the film, the young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace - until eight years later, when her family is shocked by her return.  Ms Ahmed told followers about her complaint just two days before the film's release, taking to social media platform X to share her views.   In 2020, the presenter won a landmark sex discrimination case against the BBC, where she was formerly employed.  She was paid £465 to present episodes of Newswatch, while her male colleague Jeremy Vine pocketed £3,000 a go for Points of View.  In January 2020, a judge ruled in her favour at an employment tribunal in east London.  The tribunal agreed that the work carried out by both Ms Ahmed and Mr Vine were largely similar, with both programmes lasting for 15 minutes and offering viewers the chance to air their opinions.  At the time, the BBC argued they were 'not doing similar work', but agreed on a settlement in the case.  The presenter has now written a Film Classics book called A Hard Day's Night, which is about the Beatles and came out on April 2 in the UK.  The Daily Mail has contacted Ms Ahmed and the Advertising Standards Authority for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.