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.
Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Best of British.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Best of British.
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THE FEW ON SCREEN
Steven Taylor looks at the Battle of Britain across film and TV
Table Service
Rachel Toy looks at the history of Ridgway Homemaker tableware
Hever Forever
Claire Saul studies the newly refurbished Boleyn Apartment at Hever Castle & Gardens - a castle fit for a queen
Shining a Light
Tony O’Neil tunes into the history of the last manned lightvessel
The Man With the Goldeneye
Film stills photographer Keith Hamshere describes how he came to enter the world of James Bond
THE ORIGINAL GOLDEN BALLS
lan Wheeler looks back on 70 years of Tiger comic and Roy of the Rovers, and chats to the man who edited and oversaw both titles
To Play the Queen
Chris Hallam looks back on the life of one of the UK’s best known lookalikes
POOLING RESOURCES
Martin Handley looks at what life was like after the Vernons Girls
POSTCARD FROM= SUSSEX
Bob Barton indulges in pleasure piers and fairground delights, as well as fulfilling a long-held ambition to visit the home of Rudyard Kipling
Oh, Miss Jones
Chris Hallam looks back at the origins and legacy of Rising Damp, ITV's most successful sitcom