They must have been weary after the events of the past 11 days but the broadcasters rode out their war horses again to narrate the final furlong of the Queen’s farewell.
After a period in which they had run a Grand National of words, sentiment, facts and repetition, so much so that people were tweeting “Please give Huw Edwards a holiday”, fearing he might keel over from exhaustion, the key anchors of the main channels were rolled out once more to commentate on the funeral.
Whichever channel you chose, the undoubted winner of the coverage was the cinematography. The pooled camera feed meant that, visually at least, the footage was much the same for all broadcasters. And what stunning footage it was, a masterclass in precision outside broadcasting. Especially impressive was that camera hovering high above the coffin in Westminster Abbey, which provided a breathtaking angle from the heavens.
•The Queen’s state funeral — in pictures
As Ed Moore, a cinematographer, tweeted, this was “the Everest of outside broadcast and they are pulling it off flawlessly. And invisibly. Not a cable, mic or camera to be seen.” Though widespread admiration for the optics didn’t stop a wild rumour circulating during the service that the camera had been fixed so that the Duchess of Sussex’s face was obscured by a yellow candle. Even huge, solemn occasions do not stop the conspiracy theorists.
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What was notable about nearly all the commentary was how minimal it was compared with recent days when many viewers had tired of the verbal wallpaper and, yes, the gush. Though there were times when viewers expressed irritation at too much chitchat, “less is more” generally seemed to be the mood of the day.
The BBC, perhaps jittery about getting the tone wrong and attracting complaints on such an important occasion (as it did when Peter Sissons wore a burgundy tie to announce the Queen Mother’s death), got Edwards to explain on air that a list of the processions was being made available on its website because it didn’t seem “appropriate” to talk over them.
ITV, fronted by Julie Etchingham along with Tom Bradby, and Sky News, with Anna Botting and Dermot Murnaghan, also knew when to speak and when to keep a respectful silence, as did GB News, fronted by its imperturbable mainstay Alastair Stewart, the only commentator I heard acknowledge how stoical the horses had been despite having to cope with cannons, trumpets and drums. Hear, hear. On TalkTV, where Tom Newton Dunn had narrated much of the main funeral service, Piers Morgan was hosting a two-hour evening special, Farewell to Her Majesty, with analysis.
This was a reminder once again of what quality national broadcasters we have. From Fergal Keane’s gentle, poetic voiceover to Alastair Bruce’s wealth of knowledge on Sky News, none of them messed up or misspoke, despite the huge potential to do so during such a long, nerve-racking live event. Except, that is, two presenters from the Australian broadcaster Channel 9, who didn’t know who Liz Truss was as she arrived at Westminster Abbey with her husband. They speculated that she was perhaps one of the “minor royals”. Twitter enjoyed that.
Kirsty Young came close to tears as she signed off the BBC’s live coverage in a speech that surprised some viewers. “She made history, she was history,” she said, her voice faltering. “Queen Elizabeth II is gone but she will surely never be forgotten.”
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Perhaps because his father commentated on the Queen’s Coronation, there was much affection online for David Dimbleby, who took up the reins seamlessly from Edwards for the service at Windsor Castle and found the right pitch when the symbols of sovereignty, the orb, the sceptre and the crown, were removed from the Queen’s coffin.
This was seen by some as part of royal “continuity”, but this time of TV royalty. Channel 5 did not broadcast the funeral, instead providing children’s programming. No prizes for guessing what they kicked off with — The Adventures of Paddington.
