No BBC wall-to-wall coverage of Prince Philip funeral after record complaints
The BBC will not clear all of its television and radio channels for this weekend’s funeral of Prince Philip, after acknowledging that many viewers felt its wall-to-wall coverage of his death was excessive.
The corporation will show the funeral live on BBC One on Saturday afternoon, with the Huw Edwards-presented coverage repeated on BBC Two later that evening. Radio 4, 5Live, and BBC local radio will also provide coverage between 2pm and 4pm. Otherwise the schedules will remain largely as planned, ensuring coverage of the FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester City can go ahead.
The BBC received a record 110,000 complaints over the last week after its decision to abandon almost all scheduled programming when the news broke last Friday, with shows such as MasterChef and EastEnders dropped in favour of rolling news coverage and pre-recorded tributes to the Queen’s husband. BBC Two and BBC Four removed all of their planned programming, prompting many viewers to switch off television altogether or turn to streaming services.
The corporation has acknowledged these complaints but said clearing the schedules reflected its role as the nation’s main broadcaster: “The passing of HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a significant event which generated a lot of interest both nationally and internationally. We acknowledge some viewers were unhappy with the level of coverage given, and impact this had on the billed TV and radio schedules.
“We do not make such changes without careful consideration and the decisions made reflect the role the BBC plays as the national broadcaster, during moments of national significance. We are grateful for all feedback, and we always listen to the response from our audiences.”
The BBC also defended the decision to broadcast a tribute from Prince Andrew about his father, despite the royal refusing to answer questions from the FBI about his connections to the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell: “We have fully reported on the allegations against Prince Andrew, and we have also made it clear that he has not been charged with any crime. We consider we have appropriately covered his comments.”
However, it apologised for a comment made by the BBC presenter Andrew Marr during live coverage in which he said Prince Philip’s relationship with the Queen meant he “was always two steps behind – like an Indian bride, as they say”.
The BBC said Marr accepts his comment “was poorly phrased”.
The level of complaints about the excessive coverage appears to have caught the BBC by surprise, with insiders saying the coverage was influenced by criticism from the rightwing media who had claimed it underplayed the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.
The Guardian previously revealed that the BBC also received 116 complaints from members of the public that the corporation had made it too easy to complain about the extent of the coverage.