Viewers duke it out
BBC received 110,000 complaints over too much Philip coverage
LONDON — The BBC received a record-breaking number of complaints following its extensive coverage of Prince Philip's death, with more than 110,000 people contacting the broadcaster to grumble over changes to scheduled programming and “excessive” reporting on his life and legacy.
According to British media, the outpouring of criticism makes his death the most-complained-about event in the country's TV history, with the wave of backlash forcing the BBC to temporarily build a dedicated complaints page where people could object to the programming.
Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, husband to Queen Elizabeth, “passed away peacefully” Friday at Windsor Castle — where he had been staying amid the pandemic.
Following the news of his death, the BBC revised its schedule to make way for tributes, pulling popular TV shows, such as Gardeners' World and postponing the MasterChef final.
The BBC defended its coverage, saying it was “proud of the role we play during moments of national significance,” but it didn't disclose the precise number of complaints received.
Official figures are expected to be published this week on the broadcaster's biweekly complaint log.
While the BBC has since removed the dedicated complaints page, which read: “We're receiving complaints about too much TV coverage of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” it didn't go unnoticed.
“The BBC, having adopted wall-to-wall Prince Philip coverage ... has now received so many complaints about their wall-to-wall coverage they've set up a streamlined form to complain about it,” tweeted Guardian media editor Jim Waterson.