Radio 2 roundly dismissed the Coronation as cute and quaint
St Edward’s Crown has been packed safely away in the Tower of London again, and all ceremonial quiches have been consumed. The Coronation already feels like a particularly shiny part of history. Meanwhile, I’m still thinking about how Claudia Winkleman (Saturday, Radio 2) and Jack Whitehall were chatting about it on the day itself. Whitehall, affectionately discussing his parents’ excitement about the event, described the Coronation as “Tory Glastonbury” for Telegraph readers. Winkleman chimed in that it was also “Tory Christmas”.
I have to admit, it really made me laugh, because let’s face it: it’s not totally inaccurate, is it? But also, what’s wrong with that? Though it struck me that, given that Boris Johnson has partied at Worthy Farm in the past, and former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has expressed her desperation to get Glastonbury tickets this year, maybe these days, Tory Glastonbury is in fact just… Glastonbury.
Anyway, Winkleman and Whitehall’s little radio moment was all good fun, and self-awareness is a healthy thing. Still, I raised an eyebrow at some of the wider tone of apologetics to the BBC’S Coronation coverage on radio across the weekend. They did, at times, seem slightly embarrassed that they were having to cover it at all. “I do come from quite, like, a royalist family,” Whitehall said, adopting the tone of the confessional. Winkleman, who is always a warm and funny broadcaster, described Whitehall’s mother’s commitment to travelling to London to see the Coronation as “adorable”. Kindly meant, but a wee bit patronising, no?
I’m just not sure the BBC always got the mood right over the weekend, which was a shame, because so much of the build-up to the Coronation across radio was insightful and well-rounded. If the national broadcaster starts framing a major constitutional event and its accompanying public celebrations as quaint, adorable, and somehow cute, it’s at risk of switching off its critical faculties altogether, and that’s not a road anyone wants to go down. Yes, Radio 2 had more of an entertainment than an educational or informational remit over the weekend (while Radio 3, Radio 4, Radio 5 Live, the World Service and BBC Sounds all simulcasted the Coronation itself, Radio 2 largely stuck to its regular schedule), but it’s still part of the national broadcaster, and it therefore does still have a responsibility to engage with the national moment.
It all just felt a bit dismissive.
In the end, it was the more niche corners of radio, around the edges of the schedules, that brought the most light. I’ve recently become fond of listening to Farming Today
(Radio 4, Monday to Saturday), because my small children keep similar morning hours to farmers. On Bank Holiday Monday there was an edition called The Crown and the Countryside,
exploring King Charles’s life on the land. There were clips of his 1970 speech on organic farming, and his 2020 appearance on Farming Today,
50 years later, re-affirming his commitment to those principles. In another life, it was suggested, King Charles would probably be a farmer. In this life, presenter Vernon Harwood made a strong case for the King, and more widely for the whole institution of the monarchy, as being a vital part of the British farming landscape, with a strong and lasting influence on British farming and food production.
From field to table, and The Food Programme (Sunday, Radio 4) had Ken Hom cooking a celebratory spiced coronation lamb dish. The secret to the recipe, he said, was to “have a couple of glasses of Champagne before you start cooking”, and this was culinary advice I can absolutely get behind. Presenter Jaega Wise joined in with a community lunch and led a discussion of community food initiatives, and how the history of how coronations have inspired new food dishes and feasting of all kinds. Along with Farming Today, this was an intelligent and thoughtful tracing of how the monarchy is entwined with our culture more than we might realise.
Back to Radio 2 on Sunday night for the Coronation Concert (Radio 2, Sunday), and this was a much better fit for the station, foregrounding music and a party atmosphere. Zoe Ball and Dermot O’leary were scheduled to introduce the broadcast, with Jason Mohammad commentating, but Ball was taken ill at the last minute, so Scott Mills filled in. As Mills is gearing up to host the station’s Eurovision coverage this weekend, he was already getting into character, and his presence brought a certain “Good Evening Europe” quality to the proceedings. When the Eurovision party descends, hold onto your party hats: that really will be camp as Christmas.