Connect with us

Entertainment

BBC ‘grateful for feedback’ after Prince Philip coverage reaches 110,000 complaints – record figure for British TV

WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 22: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (wearing the regimental tie of The Rifles) attends a ceremony to mark the transfer of the Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles from him to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle on July 22, 2020 in Windsor, England. The Duke of Edinburgh has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles since its formation in 2007 and has served as Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments which now make up The Rifles since 1953. The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed Royal Colonel of 4th Battalion The Rifles in 2007. (Photo by Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images)
BBC addresses complaints over Prince Philip coverage (Picture: Getty)

The BBC has addressed complaints after a record number of people contacted the broadcaster, disgruntled by the amount of coverage given to Prince Philip’s death.

The Duke of Edinburgh died aged 99 on April 9, with the BBC immediately pulling all non news-related programming from its schedule for the rest of the day.

Subsequently, the MasterChef final, The Graham Norton Show, Have I Got News For You and The One Show were all either cancelled or postponed.

Almost 110,000 people complained about the coverage, with the BBC being forced to open a complaints form on its site specifically concerning ‘too much Prince Philip ‘ coverage.

Responding to the backlash, the BBC said in a statement: #We received complaints about our coverage of the passing of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

‘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.

ROMSEY, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are greeted by Union Jack flags during a walkabout on June 8, 2007 in Romsey, England. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Prince Philip died on April 9 (Picture: Tm Graham)

‘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.’

Prince Philip’s funeral is set to take place on Saturday April 17 at 3pm with 30 guests and will air on BBC One. Coverage will begin before the ceremony.

ITV will also show the funeral from 1.15pm, with schedules returning to normal from 4.30pm. 

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Prince Philip funeral

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died at the age of 99, on April 9, 2021.

A statement from Buckingham Palace said: ‘It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.’

Queen Elizabeth II is now in an eight-day period of mourning, and his funeral has been scheduled for April 17 at 3pm.