I'd say it was fortunate. I'd certainly prefer not to go on alone uner the circumstances!

Does anyone know the reason why 'Auntie' has stopped broadcasting Radio 4 Extra's schedule...replacing it with Radio 4's schedule ?....(So effectively we've got two Radio 4s at the mo')

It's 'obviously' something to do with Prince Philip's death.....But I'm slightly bemused as to the actual thinking behind this.

Anyone ?

Cheers - Phil.

Quote from: Techno II on 11 April 2021, 06:48:19 AM
Does anyone know the reason why 'Auntie' has stopped broadcasting Radio 4 Extra's schedule...replacing it with Radio 4's schedule ?....(So effectively we've got two Radio 4s at the mo')

BBC have 4 channels on Freeview - 1, 2, 231 & 232. All four were broadcasting exactly the same thing from ~midday to at least 22:00 on Friday, which seemed excessive.

Put in a complaint about broadcasting policy yesterday. It's an absolute pain. OK I do switch between 4 and 4 extra a lot, but I have had to sit through the religous bit this morning and any questions was a complete farce - eulogy by 4 for Philip 

The BBC does seem to have fixated on all content must be Prince Philip related. I understand the need to show programming about him and his life. But they have multiple channels, they don't need to show the same content on all of them at the same time.

I think on Friday they had BBC 3 and BBC 4 TV showing nothing and directing viewers to BBC1.

Yesterday the BBC sport app had a whole section of around 6 stories about Prince Philip - none of which where sport related. I really don't think the BBC have reflected the mood of the nation on this. 

Quote from: ianrs54 on 11 April 2021, 08:07:07 AM
Put in a complaint about broadcasting policy yesterday. It's an absolute pain. OK I do switch between 4 and 4 extra a lot, but I have had to sit through the religous bit this morning and any questions was a complete farce - eulogy by 4 for Philip  

It is more than a little over the top and reminds me of some other society I cant quite put my finger on.

Quote from: ianrs54 on 11 April 2021, 08:07:07 AM
Put in a complaint about broadcasting policy yesterday.

I did the same thing, Ian. (This is probably because we're both Grumpy Old Gits.)

I DO feel sympathy for the Queen and the rest of the family.....But the 'media' DOES seem to go completely over the top in circumstances like this.
It's almost a case of "Who can out-gush" everyone else.

Quote from: fred. on 11 April 2021, 08:43:28 AM
I think on Friday they had BBC 3 and BBC 4 TV showing nothing and directing viewers to BBC1.
Yesterday the BBC sport app had a whole section of around 6 stories about Prince Philip - none of which where sport related. I really don't think the BBC have reflected the mood of the nation on this. 

Noticed the same, Forbes....BBC4 TV 'shut down'......and the Sport app.
They didn't mange to do anything to the weather app.

Rant over.

Cheers - Phil. 

There was an old satirical line, that when something bad happens, a Royal has to make the ultimate sacrifice.
It may have started as early as David Frost.

The Duke of Edinburgh's departure wasn't altogether unexpected after recent illness and aged 99.
I also don't subscribe to the sort of Conspiracy theories that all satirical matter is based on fact.

But then I switched on the television on Friday and worked my way up the channels.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (All Duke of Edinburgh retrospectives), 6 some unwatchable repeat, 7, 8, 9 (More HRH) with most BBC channels showing the same feed.

I did start wondering whether something really terrible had happened in Belfast.



I have enjoyed the radio coverage on Channel 5.
Doing small bits of current affairs in between news and sport, I learned a lot more about Prince Philip's life.
Loads of snippets about his early life, family, education, Navy days, and his role in establishing the DoE awards, and waok in the early days of teh conservation movement.
You know, the sort of stuff that a properly functioning media would have informed us about anyway.

Also some interesting sporting stuff.
Not just the sort of made-up sports you can only really do if you happen to own a small kingdom, but patronage of grass roots sports in his royal role.

Folks from outside the UK are often both fascinated and confused by the role of our Royalty.
Times like this, I realise that we also know very little.
A good example would be Philip's titles and honours: He has a lot - check it on Wikipedia.
Some: like his Doctorate in Science form the University of Delhi - Clearly where he about Indian fusebox installation, are not heritable, and he will take them with him.
Others: Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich, require an inheritor. I guessed Charles might get these, but apparently Edinburgh's getting Edward.

There's an awful lot of thins stuff we don't know.
And 75% of the serious television showing us the same potted obit really does nothing to enlighten us at all.

Best rumour I've started:
Queen could not be bothered buying a stamp for the 100th card...

Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 11 April 2021, 01:26:59 PM
Best rumour I've started:
Queen could not be bothered buying a stamp for the 100th card...

Nasty Will - I like it 

The weather forecasts did keep going - here in the UK even a nuclear attack couldn't stop them - but with the weatherpersons suitably and respectfully attired with the men in dark suits and black ties.  This article is quite informative. It's ancient history, dating from 2001 before even the death of the Queen Mother; but it shows how little has actually changed in the intervening two decades:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/aug/13/mondaymediasection.themonarchy

Peter

'The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.'

Joseph Stalin


and lets face it he would know

Back to Prince Phillip: If you are on Facebook, this page has an article about an event in his war service.
https://www.facebook.com/NavyWingsUK/

Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 11 April 2021, 08:14:42 PM
Back to Prince Phillip: If you are on Facebook, this page has an article about an event in his war service.
https://www.facebook.com/NavyWingsUK/

When the pub chat turns to "Have you ever met a royal" - that's a winner.

I met an Italian princess once; she was doing a talk about her art collection. I think I made something of a hit afterwards, being the only one there who wanted to discuss the paintings; a lone art fan amongst the social climbers trying to get her to come to tea!