The BBC reportedly received only 670 complaints about “excessive” coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death compared to the more than 100,000 it received after the death of her husband, Prince Philip.
BBC schedules were thrown into chaos last Thursday (8 September) after Buckingham Palace made a rare public statement about “concerns” for the Queen’s health. Within half an hour of issuing the statement, the BBC had turned its main network, BBC One, into a circulating news feed. When the Queen’s death was announced later that evening, the company cut all programming over television and radio to bring the news to the masses. Subnets BBC Three and Four have been completely paused, with an identity directed at viewers to BBC One, while BBC Two was a simulcast of BBC One.
33 million people watched the news of her announced death live, a third of whom were watching a BBC channel.
While some of these channels started to return to their normal schedule by the next day and certainly by the end of the week, BBC One has largely remained a rolling news feed, certainly during the day, with hours of dedicated live coverage of events including the six-hour coffin ride The Queen from Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh on Monday as well as the flight from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday and the state procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
Other royal events have also been given plenty of time on the air, including King Charles III’s inauguration on Saturday morning, his first official engagements as well as footage of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales meeting well-wishers outside Windsor Castle alongside Prince Harry and Prince Harry. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
The BBC also broadcasts a 24-hour live broadcast of the Queen reclining in Westminster Hall, where visitors line up for hours to pay their respects.
Despite this, the Guardian reported that only 670 complaints had been received about coverage from the day the Queen’s death, although it noted that “the number has increased in recent days but has remained relatively low”. The BBC is expected to publish an official number of complaints over the next few days.
When the Queen’s husband Prince Philip died last April, the network received more than 109,000 complaints within a week of his death complaining about comprehensive coverage. Such was the volume of complaints that the company created a dedicated complaints page for viewers to vent about.
The BBC said at the time: “The death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a significant event that generated a lot of interest both nationally and internationally.”
“We acknowledge that some viewers were not satisfied with the level of coverage provided, and the impact on which TV and radio schedules were held accountable. We do not make such changes without careful consideration and the decisions made reflect the role that the BBC plays as the national broadcaster, during moments of national importance. We are grateful for all the comments, and always listen to our fans’ response.”
The BBC’s schedules will continue to be disrupted at least until Monday, when the Queen’s state funeral will take place.
The release of the last season of the hit show “Strictly Come Dancing” is among the most notorious casualties. The ballroom dance competition has been delayed by nearly a week to accommodate the coverage of members of the royal family.
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