TV Home Forum

The Queen's Christmas Message

Split from BBC News (UK) presentation - Reith launch onwards (December 2019)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
IS
Inspector Sands

Yes we got the 16mm film about a week before tx. It was accompanied by a covering letter warning against revealing its contents before the scheduled tx.

Years ago The Sun controversially published details of the Christmas Message a few days before it was broadcast. Big fuss at the time,but these days details are officially released on Christmas Eve.


It happens with political speeches too, I never understand why there's the need to tell us what will be said, why not just wait?
AR
Argybargy

Yes we got the 16mm film about a week before tx. It was accompanied by a covering letter warning against revealing its contents before the scheduled tx.

Years ago The Sun controversially published details of the Christmas Message a few days before it was broadcast . Big fuss at the time,but these days details are officially released on Christmas Eve.


It happens with political speeches too, I never understand why there's the need to tell us what will be said, why not just wait?


Yes, I think it was 1992 when they did that. They published the entire speech. I don't think that has happened again since.
ST
Ste Founding member


It happens with political speeches too, I never understand why there's the need to tell us what will be said, why not just wait?


To build up interest and attention to them. Or to trial controversial parts of a speech and take out / leave in depending on the reaction.
NG
noggin Founding member

I suppose the big difference then was that the for most ITV company every programme was from an outside source, whereas now excluding the news there's only one live programme on TV on Christmas Day and that's the Morning Service on BBC1.


There is usually live news on Christmas Day on BBC One and ITV?
BL
bluecortina

More to do with 'station pride' than any screening directives. In fact I seem to recall ITV used to show a shorter version of the programme some years?

It was also originally produced and distributed on film, as some of the smaller commonwealth broadcasters had limited (or no) VT facilities


Yes we got the 16mm film about a week before tx. It was accompanied by a covering letter warning against revealing its contents before the scheduled tx.

That’s cool in possession of material like that a week before transmission what if someone played it locally to view the contents was that possible?


We did play it locally in order to transfer it to tape. I really don’t think people were bothered at the time what it contained, it was just another telly programme.
MA
Markymark

That’s cool in possession of material like that a week before transmission what if someone played it locally to view the contents was that possible?


It would be silly not to play it through in advance (applies to any programme received, not just The Queen), it's the transmission and any details about the content that is forbidden.
Inspector Sands and harshy gave kudos
BL
bluecortina

That’s cool in possession of material like that a week before transmission what if someone played it locally to view the contents was that possible?


It would be silly not to play it through in advance (applies to any programme received, not just The Queen ), it's the transmission and any details about the content that is forbidden.


We have to be careful here, if you’ve received a tape from another company - let’s say Play your cards right from LWT, or Crossroads from ATV - you might play through the opening clock and end/start of parts but generally you would assume the tape contained what it said on the paperwork and that there would be no technical problems with it.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member

That’s cool in possession of material like that a week before transmission what if someone played it locally to view the contents was that possible?


It would be silly not to play it through in advance (applies to any programme received, not just The Queen ), it's the transmission and any details about the content that is forbidden.


We have to be careful here, if you’ve received a tape from another company - let’s say Play your cards right from LWT, or Crossroads from ATV - you might play through the opening clock and end/start of parts but generally you would assume the tape contained what it said on the paperwork and that there would be no technical problems with it.


To play devil's advocate for a moment, what happens if (and I suspect this is a scenario that was probably rarer than rocking horse poo), the clock said it was Crossroads but the programme was, I dunno, Celebrity Squares or something? I suppose the reaction depends if you notice the issue before you play it out otherwise, its probably too late to do anything about it...

I appreciate that's probably very unlikely to even be a possibility but... nobody's perfect.
MA
Markymark

It would be silly not to play it through in advance (applies to any programme received, not just The Queen ), it's the transmission and any details about the content that is forbidden.


We have to be careful here, if you’ve received a tape from another company - let’s say Play your cards right from LWT, or Crossroads from ATV - you might play through the opening clock and end/start of parts but generally you would assume the tape contained what it said on the paperwork and that there would be no technical problems with it.


To play devil's advocate for a moment, what happens if (and I suspect this is a scenario that was probably rarer than rocking horse poo), the clock said it was Crossroads but the programme was, I dunno, Celebrity Squares or something? I suppose the reaction depends if you notice the issue before you play it out otherwise, its probably too late to do anything about it...

I appreciate that's probably very unlikely to even be a possibility but... nobody's perfect.


I'd imagine all broadcasters, large and small would (and still do) have played the entire recording in advance, it's only 10 mins or so anyway.

A run of the mill quiz show etc, well, not worth the bother, especially as Mr Cortina points out, it's coming from a reputable and reliable source ?
BR
Brekkie
Anyone know what the protocol would be if the Queen died after recording the message, but before it was broadcast?
IS
Inspector Sands

I suppose the big difference then was that the for most ITV company every programme was from an outside source, whereas now excluding the news there's only one live programme on TV on Christmas Day and that's the Morning Service on BBC1.


There is usually live news on Christmas Day on BBC One and ITV?

Yes, as I said excluding/not counting the news
JO
Joe
Anyone know what the protocol would be if the Queen died after recording the message, but before it was broadcast?

I would assume, given the narrow window of that scenario, usual processes and schedules would be rather different anyway. I doubt it’d be shown in the usual way, though I imagine it could be shown much later out of general interest. I wouldn’t have thought there was a specific protocol.

Newer posts