“A nation cannot be forced to mourn”: former BBC presenter Dan Walker says the corporation made a “mistake” with general coverage of Prince Philip’s death
- The former BBC presenter criticized identical programs on BBC1 and BBC2
- “I think you could naturally show that a story is hard to tell, it’s sad, it’s of national and international importance, without going too far.”
- A new job as a Channel 5 news presenter will begin next week
By Paul Revoir for the Daily Mail
Posted: 22:49, 2 June 2022 | Updated: 00:00, June 3, 2022
Dan Walker has said the BBC made a “mistake” in the way it covered the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, and stated that “grief cannot be forced on a nation”.
The former host of the BBC breakfast said he made a mistake in broadcasting the same result about the death of Prince Philip on BBC1 and BBC2 simultaneously.
The BBC’s royal correspondent Jonny Dymond also suggested that most of the events surrounding the royal family were “colorful” but “actually quite boring”.
Dan Walker, a much-loved BBC breakfast presenter, said the BBC had made a “mistake” in broadcasting the same programming on two channels simultaneously after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Mr Walker said “grief cannot be forced on a nation”. Pictured with BBC breakfast co-host Naga Munchetty
The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh was one of the most significant moments in recent royal history
The couple was on Radio 4’s The Media Show this week to talk about royal coverage. Mr Walker, 45, who is starting his new job as a Channel 5 news presenter next week, said that when he rehearsed coverage of the royal deaths on the BBC, he suggested that the tone was “too far” to be deferential.
He said: “I think you could naturally show that a story is hard to tell, it’s sad, it’s of national and international importance, without going too far.”
Referring to the doubling of coverage of Prince Philip’s death last year, he admitted that the BBC had been “rightly criticized” for this, adding: “I think this is where the stock”. He said, “Because you can’t force pain on a nation. You can report it … but you can’t make everyone feel the same. ‘
The BBC received many complaints about the amount of coverage given to the death of Prince Philip in April last year. He said he had not made any changes to the schedule “without careful consideration”.