THE BBC is covering the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh with nearly six hours of special programming today.
It comes after the corporation received nearly 110,000 complaints over its coverage of Prince Philip’s death, aged 99, last Friday.
Following the announcement of the duke’s passing, the BBC broadcast an identical feed across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Scotland, BBC Alba and BBC News. BBC Four was taken off the air and viewers were instructed to turn to another channel for an important news update.
Radio stations also changed their schedules to broadcast programming on the news.
READ MORE: BBC breaks record with 109,000 complaints on Prince Philip coverage
The figure means the coverage is the most complained about topic in the BBC’s history.
The BBC’s programming on Prince Philip’s funeral started last night as Huw Edwards presented HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Remembered live from Windsor Castle.
The duke’s funeral is due to begin at 3pm at St George’s Chapel, but Edwards will be leading live coverage on the BBC from 12.30pm today.
Tonight, from 8.10pm, Edwards will reflect on the events of the day.
Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live, as well as the local BBC radio stations, will dedicate coverage to the funeral from 2pm to 4.10pm.
ITV is covering the event with the programme Prince Philip – A Royal Funeral from 1.15pm to 4.30pm, which will be presented by Tom Bradby, a friend of Meghan and Harry, and Julie Etchingham.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: The last 24 hours of BBC coverage has left me utterly perplexed
The BBC has defended its extensive coverage of the duke’s death. A spokesperson said: “We acknowledge some viewers were unhappy with the level of coverage given, and impact this had on the billed TV and Radio schedules.
“We do not make such changes without careful consideration and the decisions made reflect the role the BBC plays as the national broadcaster, during moments of national significance.”
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