The BBC has opened a page on its website for viewers to register their complaints about the extent of the coverage of the death of Prince Philip.
The broadcaster said it had opened the page in response to receiving complaints that there was “too much” coverage on the Duke of Edinburgh.
The dedicated page is found at the top of the broadcaster’s main complaints page. Headed “Death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — too much coverage on BBC TV”, it reads: “We’re receiving complaints about too much TV coverage of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Please enter your email address below to register a complaint about this — we’ll then send you the BBC’s response as soon as it is available.”
The BBC had suspended regularly scheduled programmes on Friday on BBC One and Two to run coverage on the life of Prince Philip. Scheduling returned to normal on BBC Two on Saturday, with BBC One reverting to scheduled viewing after 1 pm.
ITV and Channel 4 also altered their scheduled viewing.
Speaking to Breitbart London, Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group, the UK’s oldest conservative think tank, said that the BBC had given “thousands of hours of coverage to George Floyd’s passing and BLM, to the LGBT lobby, and other matters which consistent polling shows the British public do not support.
“It is therefore utterly bizarre that when a momentous event like the passing of Prince Philip occurs, which is an event attracting the attention of every world leader with huge global interest, the BBC should prompt people to complain after just 24 hours that there has been too much coverage of it.
“Where is the BBC website form to complain about the coverage of BLM or the promotion of the trans ideology? I think it would be a lot more popular with the public the BBC claim to represent.”
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams also criticised the BBC for setting up a dedicated page for registering complaints, telling The Telegraph: “The BBC’s coverage after the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh, has, as far as I have seen and heard, been exemplary so far. Any viewers who wish to send in a complaint to the BBC are always free to do so.
“However to put up a special page for complaints is an extraordinary thing to do, as it appears to give them a special legitimacy.
“It seems to be some sort of bizarre alternative to the online book of condolence, the implication is that complaints have some form of official sanction — otherwise, why put up a special page?
“Since this is clearly not the case it should be taken down without delay.”