Dan Walker reveals the BBC’s key rule when announcing a major death-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Dan Walker has spoken about the procedures in place for a major death (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Dan Walker has opened up on the key rule he remembered from the BBC when he announced the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The 47-year-old journalist was presenting on Channel 5 when the news broke that the late monarch had died in September 2022 at the age of 96 following a 70-year reign.

The former BBC Breakfast host’s time at the broadcaster had taught him about the ‘obituary procedure’ for a major death, which is a process he’s kept in mind wherever he’s worked.

‘When I was at the BBC, now and again, you would go through what they call the obituary procedure: what you would do in the case of what they referred to as a Category 1 death,’ he told Sorted magazine.

‘You need to be super serious, but you also have to have a conversation with your viewers. I don’t know if you ever told a member of your family that someone that you both love has passed away.

Dan remembered his time as a BBC presenter before making his Channel 5 debut in 2022 (Picture: PA)

‘That’s the conversation you must have. Virtually everybody watching that programme had not known life without the Queen. It did feel like we were losing a family member, somebody that we knew.’

When it came to covering the news himself, Dan thought about how he’d want to hear the news as a viewer.

He explained: ‘On Channel 5, I said something like, “I’m going to tell you some breaking news now. I think you might want to sit down for this.”

‘That’s certainly the way that I would want to hear it if I were on the other end of that TV screen.

‘I just explained what was happening at Balmoral at the time, and I think the nation was prepared for it, but nothing gets you ready for the news that it’s actually happened and it’s official.’

Dan began his career not expecting ‘to get anywhere’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Dan has had a varied career in the media having reported on sports, current affairs – and even competed on Strictly Come Dancing – but when he first started out, he ‘never expected’ to get anywhere in the industry and had other plans.

‘I did A-levels and went on to do a degree in history. And then I did another degree in broadcast journalism. I was going to be a teacher, but I was turned down,’ he said.

‘I went into journalism instead and then got a job on local radio. From there, I started working my way up the greasy pole, or the ladder – however you want to look at it.

‘I never really expected to get anywhere. I just thought this was a cool job. I get to go to football matches, be in a studio, read the news, and present programmes.’

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