King’s Coronation TV review: all-access coverage captures grandeur - but republicanism nowhere to be seen

The BBC's coverage of the King's coronation managed to show all of the highlights while avoiding the more contentious areas
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“I was talking to Sir David Attenborough the other day,” Clare Balding remarked as the King’s golden carriage trundled down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, “and he was saying how important the Queen’s coronation was for the medium of television.”

Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 crowning - the first ever coronation to be televised live - was a groundbreaking event that introduced several “firsts” and revolutionised the way people experienced major ceremonial events, allowing millions of people to witness the ceremony in real time from the comfort of their own homes.

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Prior to this, major events like royal weddings and coronations were only accessible to those in attendance or through subsequent newsreel screenings at cinemas. The live television broadcast of the coronation brought the event directly into people’s living rooms, forever changing the way audiences engaged with such occasions.

So could Charles’ own Westminster Abbey spectacle provide the medium a similar revolutionary step forward?

Balding went on to quip that the scale of the BBC’s coverage of the event, coupled with the ubiquity of the smartphones in the crowds of flag-waving royal devotees, meant that the new King’s coronation could have been covered by the largest number of cameras “ever.”

It was a strange thing to say really, simultaneously giving the audience at home food for thought, while touching on the increasing irrelevance of traditional, live broadcast TV in the age of social media. Will the next coronation even be on the box?

It’s become increasingly challenging for traditional broadcasters to compete with the instantaneous updates and real-time footage

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In the here and now though, the BBC’s coverage was once again the place to turn. The corporation tried to be sure of that, allegedly “restricting” access to the pool footage for the event before an “eleventh-hour” agreement was reached with major broadcasters meaning video of the coronation could be shared with their online audiences.

Delivered with a level of enthusiasm pitched almost perfectly to satiate all viewers, from the staunchest royal supporter to the curious republican, the commentary was peppered with informative facts that explained the significance of each ritual, and the cultural context of all of the ceremony’s quirks.

In terms of cinematography, the coverage - now in ultra-HD, something viewers of the Queen’s coronation couldn’t even have dreamed of - viewers were treated to a visual feast of stunning shots and close-ups, thanks to the sheer number of cameras deployed.

No angle was left uncovered during the ceremony itself, giving audiences a chance to appreciate the grand splendour of the event’s wider picture, as well as the smallest details, from the intricate designs on the royal garments to the symbolic artefacts used throughout.

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For an impartial BBC, you would think that perhaps some nod could have been given to those in attendance who do not necessarily agree with the pomp and pageantry of it all. But it was at least fun to see producers who, through a feat of strategic camera placement and impeccable timing expertly avoided capturing any glimpse of the anti-monarchy protestors in Trafalgar Square. A masterclass in selective coverage.

It’s become increasingly challenging for traditional broadcasters to compete with the instantaneous updates and real-time footage shared by the general public on social media, but the BBC proved that there is still a place for meticulously planned live productions.

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