An Elizabethan Evening

Kevin Geddes looks back on the BBC's “experiment in time”, which imagined how television would have looked during the time of Queen Elizabeth I

- Kevin Geddes

It is often said that the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was the event that triggered people across Britain to invest in their very own television sets, allowing them to watch the spectacular ceremony live from home. Families in the same street then crowded into their neighbours’ living rooms eager to catch a glimpse of the event. Street parties, community festivals and parades were all arranged.

However, to lure people back indoors to stare at their new television sets for a while, the BBC went to town with special programming linked to the coronation, often broadcasting extraordinary programmes throughout the year to herald the new reign.

Not all the coverage was forward-looking either. On Tuesday 17 November at 8pm, the entire television broadcast for that night was taken somewhat on a detour. An Evening’s Diversion was scheduled by the BBC as an “experiment in time” where viewers would be transported back to supposedly the same evening in 1596 to see an imagined schedule of programmes “proffered on the anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I” if only television had existed at the time.

The Radio Times assured potential viewers that “everything will be authentic” – the costumes, the scenery, the actions and even the language used would be Elizabethan. The only less-than-authentic departure would be television cameras placed conveniently to capture all the goings on.