Huw do go on! BBC man’s ‘inane chat’ is a turn- off

IT WAS the clash of the newsreading heavyweights yesterday as Huw Edwards and Tom Bradby went head- to- head covering the Royal funeral.

But they both found themselves on the ropes after coming under stinging attack from television viewers who were left unimpressed at their performances.

While I TV’s Mr Bradby was accused of being biased against the wider Windsor family in light of his friendship with Prince Harry, his BBC rival was criticised for talking too much during the live broadcast.

Mr Edwards took over the coverage at 12.30pm and, before long, viewers were saying they had already changed channels due to his ‘inane’ commentary over footage being shown in the lead-up to the official ceremony.

One said: ‘Switched to ITV coverage of the funeral’ because ‘Huw Edwards’ constant inane chatter was driving us crackers.’

Another said: ‘Poor coverage by the Beeb. Huw Edwards just kept talking throughout. Repetition, same coverage as all the other programmes. ITV did a more sensitive and moving programme. Get a grip BBC.’

However, other viewers were impressed with the BBC’s guests, who were said to be more knowledgable about Prince Philip. Mr Edwards, 59, was joined by Sir David Attenborough, Gyles Brandreth and Alan Titchmarsh.

Meanwhile, News At Ten presenter Mr Bradby, 54, who anchored ITV’s three-hour coverage from 1.15pm with his fellow newsreader Julie Etchingham, insisted that he was going to speak very little during their broadcast.

And following recent claims that he has fallen out with Prince William after allegedly backing Harry amid the brothers’ feud, he barely mentioned either the Duke of Sussex or the Duke of Cambridge.

Mr Bradby’s only reference to the sibling row came when they were seen speaking to each other after the funeral. The presenter, who formerly served ITV News as its Royal Correspondent, told viewers: ‘Funerals are a time of reconciliation and that’s a sight, let’s be honest, that many wanted to see. Not least the family itself.’

But those remarks did not stop Twitter users from lambasting him for taking Harry’s side over the Royal Family, with one describing him as ‘treacherous’.

Mr Bradby interviewed William and Kate when they got engaged in 2010 and later attended their wedding as a guest. But he is widely considered t o have f ormed a stronger friendship with Harry and Meghan Markle in recent years.

While it is estimated that more than ten million people tuned in across the channels to watch the funeral, it will not be known until later today which side will win the ratings war.

Last week, the BBC confirmed that it received 109,741 complaints from the public over its coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death. The corporation cleared its schedules to cover the news when Prince Philip died nine days ago at the age of 99. EastEnders and the MasterChef final were replaced by news programmes.

● A topless eco-warrior disrupted the silence at Windsor Castle yesterday as she tried to climb the Queen Victoria statue outside the grounds where Prince Philip was being laid to rest. The woman shouted ‘Save the planet… save the trees’, before she was tackled by police.