The Royal wedding on TV - The verdict

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT IS unsurprising to think that The Royal Wedding will go down as one of the biggest watched television events in history.  In Britain, the three major networks, BBC, ITV and Sky, all covered the prestigious day in their own unique way. But which of them emerged out on top?

Sky – Making the best of a bad situation

TEETHING: Technical problems hindered Sky's big day

It was Sky News in unprecedented territory.  Although it has covered major royal events down the years, it has never been something on a grand scale like this.  Eamonn Holmes, host of the ‘Sunrise’ breakfast programme was duly promoted to all-day anchor for the coverage, being assisted by several key figures within the team like Dermot Murnaghan, Adam Boulton and Kay Burley.  Sky produced accurate and well detailed reports on the day’s developments and Holmes did a rather reasonable job with the big task in hand.  However, its technical department wasn’t quite up to scratch, cutting out of interviews inappropriately, one being with prime minister David Cameron, cameras sometimes in the wrong position and even worse, its picture was blacked out just as the main service began.  Nevertheless, it was solid effort and they didn’t give up no matter the difficulties of the situation.

BBC – Strong line-up falls short

PREDICTABLE: Huw Edwards was seen by many as bland and boring

It was perhaps the BBC’s crucial hour.  As the official broadcaster to the wedding, they would be distributing the majority of the pictures, not just to the other main UK broadcasters, but to everyone else around the world.

     The decision on having its lead newscaster Huw Edwards as presenter, instead of special broadcasting veteran David Dimbelby in the end turned out to be a seething mistake.  Whereas he was very descriptive and did talked sense in the unfolding events, he seemed very dreary all day and when commentating on the ceremony; his voice sounded more like commentary of a funeral.  The only members of BBC’s team that were very captivating during the day were fellow newscasters Fiona Bruce and Sophie Raworth.  BBC Breakfast correspondent Chris Hollins blended in well with the crowds at The Mall and BBC F1 host Jake Humphrey proved to be very brave climbing aboard on one of the RAF planes used for the flyover at the end of the day.

     Back to the bad trend and Fearne Cotton seemingly struggled with her role as reporter outside Buckingham Palace.  Being rated as one of the highest acclaimed hosts in TV and radio today, this was bit of an embarrassment by her standards.  Another Radio 1 DJ that came under fire was Edith Bowman, who also had a disaster in her role as reporter at St. Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton, or Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they are formally known now, first met.

     Although there were promises of a day to remember, the Beeb will kind of think that they well and truly shot themselves in the foot.

ITV – A surprising triumph

TRIUMPH: Etchingham and Schofield's chemistry was spot-on

Towards the build-up of the wedding, ITV had their fair share of critics who believed they would make very many comparisons to Charles and Diana’s wedding thirty years ago.  In truth, although of course mentioned much from time to time, it wasn’t that bad nor completely biased to the 1981 spectacular.

     In fact, it struck the right notes throughout much of the event.  The risk to employ Phillip Schofield as presenter instead of obvious candidate Alistair Stewart or even the possibility of coaxing legendary Sir Trevor McDonald out of retirement again turned out to be a success. Partnered by News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, they formed great chemistry and really introduced and injected a lot of humour into the day.

     With Stewart based outside the Goring Hotel, the Middleton’s base for the day, Mary Nightingale at Westminster Abbey and Nina Hossain with the crowds in Hyde Park, this was a simply basic approach by ITV in using their news team to cover the events.  Only two members of the crew were from outside their news operation.  Kate Garraway, who was live in the bride’s village of Bucklebury, and Matt Smith from ITV Sport who covered events in St. Andrews.  It was main newsreader Mark Austin however who stole the show as try as he might; he was often caught up in the thick of the crowds at The Mall.  The expert approach taken by Austin even saw him trending the most than anyone else on Twitter during the coverage.

     ITV themselves also achieved an unthinkable feat; they didn’t interrupt a single minute of the coverage for an advertisement break!  As soon as the main coverage started at 8:30am, that was it, they ran on continuously for the seven or so hours they were on the air for.

     This simple layout by ITV for once earned them great and deserved reconigition.  A clear winner as they knew what they were doing and importantly, had the right team for the job.

The viewer’s choice

No matter what the experts say, it comes down to who won the most viewers.  When the overnights were published, it was no surprises that the BBC came out on top.

     BBC earned an average of 13.4 million and a peak for the ceremony of 19.3 million.  Despite the glowing coverage, it sadly wasn’t enough to prevent ITV from getting the thrashing that many had initially predicted before the event.  Its coverage could only muster 4.4 million, rising to 5.5 million for the ceremony.

     If there is any consolation, ITV actually rated in more viewers in the afternoon’s section of coverage than BBC, considering they brought actual reaction and celebrations across the country whereas BBC just kept repeating the same footage again and again.  Meanwhile, Sky’s coverage took in 700,000 as their average figures and 1.2 million chose them for the ceremony despite the blackout.

     Although, as predicted, the BBC won the rating battle, it was ITV that won the broadcast war.  I hope it gets recognised at next year’s television BAFTA’s and Royal Television Society awards.

The Royal wedding - A perfect day

BILLIONS watched on TV across the globe, millions celebrated in London and around the UK and two kisses on the world’s most famous balcony.  The Royal Wedding was an amazing day, with a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.

    Tonight, Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be attending a party hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.  It completes a day that will be looked back on as a truly perfect day for the nations new Prince and Princess.  Prime Minister David Cameron described it afterwards as a day that ‘Britain was at its best.’  He was most definitely right.

    The ceremony itself at the historic Westminster Abbey was a grand occasion.  William and his best man, Prince Harry arrived at 10am, 90 minutes after the doors opened to the many hundreds of guests invited to the wedding of the century.  They included Prince Albert of Monaco, the Australian Prime Minister and many leaders from the Commonwealth.  David Beckham, Sir Elton John, amateur jockey Sam-Wahey Cohen and former Prime Minister John Major were amongst the celebrities in attendance, as were current political figureheads Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osbourne and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.  Former leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were surprisingly not included on the guest list however.  Also in attendance were close friends of the happy couple. 

BEAUTIFUL: Kate heads into the Abbey in her stunning dress

    An hour after Prince William arrived, Kate Middleton turned up in the back of a black car.  The blushing bride was escorted to the aisle by her proud father, Michael.  After huge anticipation and weeks of speculation, the wedding dress was simply spectacular.  Designed by Sarah Burton; the successor to the late, great fashion designer Alexander McQueen, it was a dress that bought back memories of Grace Kelly’s dress on her wedding day to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.  The thin veil could see every single delightful expression of Kate.  Choosing Burton as her designer for the big day will also be a big boost to the British Fashion Industry.  It also celebrated the legacy of Alexander McQueen – who was a legend in his fashion showcases until his death last February.  The dress was well-executed and there can be no doubt that it was made fit to look like and be worn by a Princess.

    The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams produced the service impeccably, to the happy couple.  They looked very relaxed throughout, although the way William did struggle to get the ring on Kate’s middle finger did suggest the understandable and traditional nerves.  There was no stuttering on the vows, unlike when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in 1981.  The whole service was simply perfect, with a highlight being when ‘Jerusalem’ belted out in the church.

     An hour later and ‘Crown Imperial’ played out as the couple returned from signing the registers in the private residence of St. Edward’s Chapel in the Abbey.  There was a clear seal of approval from the expectant crowd outside, as it managed to deafen out the loud chiming Westminster Bells.  They may have arrived in cars, but the trip back to Buckingham Palace was via the traditional transport in these occasions of horse and carriage.  There were an estimated 1 million people on the processional route from the Abbey to the Palace.  This was followed by some official photographs, lunch for 600 people courtesy of the Queen and then the traditional balcony appearance infront of the crowd outside The Mall.  The crowd got their wish as William and Kate kissed for the millions of people and the worldwide media.  If that wasn’t enough, they kissed again shortly afterwards in a fairytale moment. 

TREAT: The happy couple head back to Clarence House

     The final treat for the crowd was a real surprise, as William and Kate pulled out of the Palace gates after lunch.  William driving Prince Charles Aston Martin with ‘JUST WED’ on the license plate and an ‘L’ plate on the front of the car back to Clarence House for some brief respite this afternoon.  It was specially decorated by Prince Harry and other close members of the Royal Family.

     This was the day when a broad smile appeared on the nation and that is down to William and Kate.  They have given us the opportunity to share their happiness and with the scenes seen today, there seems to be clear genuine affection for the new Royal couple.  The weather was good as well and improved as the day went on, despite the initial forecasted showers.  As soon as the champagne began flowing on The Mall at 8am this morning, the party begun and it will continue long into the night and probably, throughout this extended Bank Holiday weekend.  All the doom and gloom of worldwide economic uncertainty, death in Afghanistan, conflicts in Libya and Syria and natural disasters that have devastated Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and Japan this year, it was so nice and fitting to see something jolly today.  The world watched this global event, with celebrations ranging from Australia and Paris, to Shanghai and Russian and American astronauts toasting their success on the International Space Station.  With an estimated TV audience of 2 billion worldwide, it is likely to be the biggest audience in TV history with only the 1966 World Cup final and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 likely to rival that in the British audience stakes.  400 million are believed to have watched it live on YouTube!

CELEBRATION: Kate' hometown of Bucklebury salute their girl

    Across the country, there were thousands of parties held in celebration for the Royal Wedding.  Many streets closed on this national day of celebration.  The happiest places include St. Andrews University in Scotland, where William and Kate met as University students a decade ago and in Bucklebury – the hometown where Kate grew up.  Before today, Chris Tarrant was their only claim to fame.  Now they have the new Princess to take that mantelpiece.  William and Kate have travelled a long road since meeting at University, which has included a trying separation four years ago.  However, they now live together in Anglesey in Wales and although recent Royal marriages haven’t been very successful, there is real optimism that this is a marriage that will go the distance.  

     This was the perfect day and a special day that all of us will remember for generations to come.  Congratulations to William and Kate and thank you for giving us such a unique moment, I wish you a very happy, prosperous and successful future together.  

Why wait until the last minute?

THE Easter weekend is over and with the Royal Wedding about to happen, we have two more Bank Holidays to look forward to in the next week.  For me, I am counting down the days until I finish my second year of University – now just over a fortnight away.

     I thought today – ‘let’s go into University’ and take advantage of almost an empty environment and get some work done.  I have finished the majority of my assignments this year, except a boring and tedious law exam and evaluations on several topics, where I have to critically assess my work this year.  Typical!  I get to Uni, and the institution is shut!  Why?  It isn’t Bank Holiday Tuesday!  Next up, we will be having a holiday for every political party in Britain.  It is ridiculous.

UNECCESSARY: Why put yourself in this situation?

     Okay, I probably should have checked the university website first before I went in and I only live five minutes away, so it wasn’t like a waste of petrol.  However, give me a break!  It is far from good enough and like I said, it’s not a Bank Holiday, so I don’t understand it!  Does it surprise me?  No, not really.  All the same, it is still incredibly frustrating.

     It also got me thinking about deadlines and getting assignments in on time.  Luckily, I am in a position where I’m not running around like a headless chicken.  In fact, I tried that a couple of months ago and let’s say, it put me in a very bad place.  The relaxed approach I took after March does seem to work.  However, it does get me thinking, why do people wait until the last minute to get work done? 

     For some, it is the way they work.  If so, it can’t be faulted and if that’s how it is approached by them, it’s fine.  However, it could be made a bit easier by getting the job done a bit earlier and quicker.  99% of the time, stuff done at the last minute is nowhere near as good as bits and pieces produced or handed in a fortnight earlier.  I was guilty of that myself at times, especially in Secondary School – largely because it didn’t matter so much.  If I leave stuff until the last minute, I feel frustrated in myself and realise – ‘Crud, why did I decide to take that approach.’  For me, it doesn’t work.  It might do for others, but I always struggle to see the advantages of it.

     Now, some people can just be desperately unlucky and everything they seem to touch goes wrong.  Consequently, I feel for these individuals, who work so hard and get little reward for it.  It wins more respect with me if they have worked hard on a project and are putting the finishing touches to a masterpiece of work just before the deadline.  For those who like wake up at 3pm on the afternoon before a deadline is due and have done like 10% of the work, you’d only have yourself to blame, especially if you had started receiving the work months before.  In my case, some of my assignments begun way back in September 2010, so excuses run thinner than ever before.

     Leaving it till the last minute?  For me, not an option – just an annoying distraction.