How the BBC broke Diana's death

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but there is quite an interesting read in next week's Radio Times. It's an article about how the BBC News staff broke the news in the early hours of 31.8.1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales' fatal crash, with accounts of some of those who worked that night and the following week. They include Martyn Lewis, Nick Gowing and Jennie Bond.

What makes it quite interesting is the fact that although it was just a few weeks before BBC News 24 launched, it was nevertheless in the days before it existed. Today, BBC1 would simply hand over to BBC News 24. But Martyn says he was woken up by the phone to do a couple of news flashes at around 1am and then went home, only to be woken again to come and do the special news programme on BBC1 when it was clear Diana had died. Nick was also woken to come and present on BBC World throughout the night. Now I can't remember quite how it worked back then, but wouldn't someone have already been on BBC World presenting?

I switched on the TV that morning and saw Martyn Lewis talking to Jeffrey Archer, I thought Thatcher had died.

From videos ive seen it looked to me that Nick Gowing broke the news on BBC World of the car crash, so i assume he was already on shift.

Get the Radio Times for next week and they have a very interesting inteview with Martyn Lewis and Nick Gowing about the night Diana died, Martyn saying that he was phoned at about 1.00am and did a couple of Newsflashes, he was back home for about 3.00am and then back on by 7.00am or so, he says he literally had no sleep, as the day before he had been filming a programme.

Nik Gowing recieved a phone call too, but his first reaction to the person on the other end was "F*ck off...!" (Meaning it in a shocked way rather than telling someone to go away of course)

Ah i see, i thought they were talking about when the news first broke, my mistake.

Video and audio clips from that night here: http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/continuity/diana.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980901/ai_n14165277

Maxine was the duty news presenter on BBC World that night. She then turned into one of the update reporters once Nik had come in.

I never found out till 9am the Sunday morning with Tony blair speaking at church

( I still think she got bumped of)

I didn't have you down for a Daily Express reader, 623058...

And over on ITV....

The point ITN broke into programming. A very rare clip indeed.

ITN Rolling Coverage

I remember my partner of the time coming to me with a cup of tea in bed and announcing the news.

I got up straight away...it was on all channels. I went out to buy a paper and there was silence, complete silence, in the centre of Plymouth.

I drove back to my home in Stockton that afternoon and the roads were empty.