Television viewing figures for the first day of the Queen’s jubilee were substantially down on previous royal occasions, although millions still tuned in.
A peak audience of 7.5 million people watched the BBC’s broadcast of trooping the colour on Thursday, as it kicked off a long weekend of coverage to celebrate 70 years of the Queen’s reign.
Later that evening, the BBC’s broadcast of the lighting of beacons to mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne attracted a peak 5 million viewers, according to figures produced by rating agency BARB.
By comparison the audience for Prince Philip’s funeral last year peaked at more than 13 million people, while Prince William and Harry’s weddings hit 26 million and 18 million viewers respectively.
The relatively muted figures suggest the public took advantage of the extra bank holiday and good weather to head outside, rather than being glued to their televisions.
While trooping the colour was still the most watched programme on terrestrial television, ITV’s Coronation Street and Britain’s Got Talent were not far behind, with almost 4 million viewers each.
The BBC has sometimes struggled with the tone of its royal coverage, having come under criticism during the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012 for trying to use younger presenters in an attempt to attract a wider audience. Last year, the national broadcaster also received a record number of complaints from members of the public who felt it went overboard with wall-to-wall coverage of Prince Philip’s death.
Kirsty Young returned to television to anchor the BBC’s jubilee coverage after four years off air after a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis with secondary fibromyalgia.
The BBC’s live commentary was provided by Huw Edwards and strayed into controversy when a former officer in the Irish Guards described the soldiers as “a great mick cocktail”.
Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton said: “The micks have this fantastic mix of guards’ discipline and pursuit of excellence, with that Irish ‘irrational tenth’ if I can quote Lawrence of Arabia, which makes it the best regiment on the planet.”
Edwards interjected to say that while viewers might think the term was offensive, “it’s worth underlining that’s what you Irish Guards call yourselves”.
Joe Dwyer of Sinn Féin wrote on Twitter: “The year is 2022 … and a BBC presenter and someone from the British army are explaining why ‘micks’ actually isn’t an offensive term for Irish people.”
The relatively moderate interest in watching royals waving from carriages and soldiers in formation may also be a symptom of good weather on a bank holiday. Much of Britain was dry on Thursday, with many attending street parties and others using the long weekend to travel.
More than 20 million people watched the Queen’s coronation in 1953, overtaking radio listeners for the first time in television history.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The trooping the colour was the most watched show of the day with over 7 million viewers, and we are proud to be bringing audiences coverage of these once in a lifetime events to mark the platinum jubilee with a range of special programming on the BBC across the extended bank holiday weekend.”
