The BBC was accused yesterday of broadcasting a series of howlers during the Diamond Jubilee, as a former executive complained that the river pageant had been treated as a party rather than a formal commemorative event.
The corporation said that it was “very proud of the quality and breadth” of its seven-hour coverage, but viewers highlighted at least nine inaccuracies.
One BBC reporter twice referred to “Her Royal Highness the Queen”, instead of Her Majesty, and there was confusion when it came to maritime terminology: the bow of the royal barge was mistaken for the stern; upriver was confused with downriver; and boat decks became “downstairs” and “the first floor”, viewers complained.
A fashion expert, commenting on the royal headgear, said that the Duchess of Cambridge’s hat was made by the same milliner who “made Nelson’s hat for Waterloo”. It went uncorrected, despite the fact that Admiral Nelson died in 1805, ten years before the Battle of Waterloo. The Coronation date was given as 1952 rather than 1953, HMS Belfast weighed 91,000 tons instead of 11,500, and the age of the Duke of Edinburgh, who is 90, was given as 92, viewers said.
Neither Paul Dickenson nor Tom Cunliffe, two of the lead presenters, had been told how to interpret the semaphore message displayed with a flourish on top of the National Theatre.
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One Times reader, John Gilbert, said: “The BBC once more showed that it can no longer be trusted with great events due to its employment of reporters who are either too unintelligent or who simply don’t care to do preparatory homework. The male commentator who took us through the river procession displayed on no less than four occasions a laughable ignorance.”
Kevin Marsh, former editor of the Today programme and World at One, and head of the BBC’s College of Journalism for five years, said that the glut of entertainers fronting the coverage left the audience lamenting the absence of veteran presenters such as David Dimbleby. Among the celebrity faces were Ben Fogle and Anneka Rice.
Mr Marsh said: “Someone decided this was a party. It was entertainment, not information, and that wasn’t what viewers wanted or deserved. It’s always going to be risky trying to cover an event where people are expecting a high level of accuracy, when the people you use don’t have accuracy in their blood. There was a contrast between Clare Balding, who knew the names of the people she was talking to and was absolutely in control, and some others.”
Mr Marsh, who left the BBC last year after 33 years, said: “The lesson is, we have got to think a lot harder before we dispense with the Dimblebys.” During the river pageant, David Dimbleby’s brother, Jonathan, tweeted: “Dire reaction to BBC coverage of another great event. Am asked whether bigwigs have lost the plot. Good question to [his Radio 4 show] Any Questions.”
Stephen Fry wrote: “Has the BBC ever presented a more mind-numbingly tedious programme in its history? ‘HRH the queen’ said the first ignorant presenter. HRH?”
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The BBC said viewing figures peaked at 11.9 million and averaged 10.3 million — a 56 per cent share of the total. Once the audience went above 10 million it did not fall below, which a spokesman said was an indication of people sticking with the channel. “The pageant was a broadcasting event of unprecedented scale and complexity,” he said.
And a source pointed out that when David Dimbleby presented the Golden Jubilee ten years ago the BBC received hundreds of complaints. Some said that the veteran broadcaster was irreverent, and others that he talked too much.