Entertainment
BBC forced to defend changing schedule to Pointless fans after Christian Eriksen Euro 2020 collapse
BBC’s schedule changed following Eriksen’s collapse (Picture: Reuters)
In a statement, the BBC has been forced to address changing the TV schedule the evening of Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the Euros 2020 after viewers complained.
On June 12 the broadcaster was airing the match between Denmark and Finland, when Danish star Eriksen collapsed on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 29-year-old has since been discharged from hospital.
At the time the UEFA announced the Group B game was suspended due to a ‘medical emergency’.
It was later confirmed that Eriksen’s condition was stable in hospital and the game was able to resume, however the night’s TV schedule had to be altered as a result.
Addressing complaints lodged with the broadcaster, after Pointless and Casualty’s slots were affected due to the sudden change in programming after the footballer’s on-field medical emergency, the BBC defended its decision.
In a statement this week, it said: ‘In this instance, due to Christian Eriksen’s collapse during the first half, the remainder of the Denmark v Finland match was broadcast later than expected. The BBC has a commitment to cover these matches, and the scheduling of them is often out of our control.
Pointless aired around the rescheduling of the Denmark v Finland game (Picture: BBC/Remarkable Television, an En)
‘This meant that some of our programmes, like Pointless and Casualty, aired slightly earlier than expected, and others, like The Hit List Celebrity Special and The Wall, were dropped from the schedule.’
The BBC said that it appreciated ‘that last minute schedule changes can be frustrating’, it tries to keep those ‘to a minimum’ by also ‘alerting viewers of the changes using continuity announcers and on-screen graphics when possible’.
Aside from the scheduling criticism, the broadcaster was also hit with more than 6,000 complaints over its coverage of Eriksen’s collapse.
Cameras remained on the footballer as he received CPR, and his partner and teammates, who were crying, were also filmed.
At the time, viewers criticised the BBC for not cutting away from the heartbreaking footage, with the broadcaster later going on to respond to the thousands of complaints it received.
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‘Everyone at the BBC is hoping Christian Eriksen makes a full recovery,’ the response read.
‘We apologise to anyone who was upset by the images broadcast. In stadium coverage is controlled by UEFA as the host broadcaster, and as soon as the match was suspended, we took our coverage off air as quickly as possible.’
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