Birth

Home

The 1953 Coronation

Author: Rob Turnock
Category: Behind the scenes: production of early television
Created: 2005-06-07
Modified: 2005-12-30
Language:

The live televised coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on 2 June 1953 was a defining moment in the development of British broadcasting. Watched by 56% of the population compared to 32% who listened on radio, it was the moment when British television first became considered as a mass medium. It was not the first time, however, that such a royal event had been covered by television. One of the earliest outside broadcasts was the televising of King George VI's Coronation in May 1937, watched by around 10,000 people at home on the BBC's new high-definition television service which had only opened in November the previous year.

Under Reith's stewardship, BBC radio had a claim to be a central focus of British national life. By providing common access to 'national' events such as royal weddings, the FA Cup and last night of the proms, radio would act as a kind of unifying force to bind the British people together. Although the new medium of television was viewed with suspicion by Reith and others, a suspicion held by many in the BBC right up until the early 1950s, the producers of television also firmly believed in the same principles of common access to events of national interest. Following the death of George V in 1952, and before Queen Elizabeth's coronation a year later, there was a major public debate about whether the event should be televised. Traditionalists such as Winston Churchill opposed the televising of the even for fear that it would demystify the working of authority and make profane an otherwise sacred event. There were also fears that the coronation was being exploited by the government and by private companies, and that the event was being turned into cheap entertainment for the masses. Yet there were also populists who wanted to democratise the event and make it available for the wider national audience. The issue was pushed through a vote at the House of Commons, and with support from members of the Anglican Church, and with claims that the Queen herself wanted the cameras there, the populists won.

It took the BBC a whole year to organise the televised coverage of the event. It included a television team of 120 people on the day, with five cameras in the Abbey, and 21 cameras deployed across 21 sites along the procession route. There had been debates about the positioning of cameras in the Abbey and it was decided that cameras would not be placed where they would obstruct the participants or be obtrusive. Parts of the service, such as the anointing, were also kept hidden from cameras. The television voice-over commentary was provided by the reverent tones of the veteran BBC broadcaster Richard Dimbleby. Yet the television coverage also helped those commentating on radio. Live footage from inside the Abbey allowed radio commentators stationed outside to describe the event to the listening audience.

The television coverage of the Coronation did not just reach an enormous audience in Britain, but was seen in other parts of the world. The event was seen in France, Holland and West Germany, and during the day the live coverage was telerecorded and the film was sent in batches by RAF Canberra jet bombers to Canada. From there, a special television link from Montreal allowed the US major networks NBC and ABC to show the footage. The US broadcasts caused some controversy in Britain, however, as the NBC coverage was broken up by advertising breaks, including an advertisement for tea featuring a chimpanzee. This apparent lack of respect fuelled the already acrimonious debate about the future commercial television service in Britain.

Author: Rob Turnock

Disclaimer