Humbug!

[UncleEbenezer]

I turned on the radio expecting to hear news. News that would presumably include the royal funeral - probably as lead item - but also whatever else may have been newsworthy.

Instead I hear blanket coverage. Oh well, I guess that was inevitable. Turn to https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl7j , see the world at one is put back to 1:30. OK, that's not too long, I'll wait.

A military band seems to have got stuck in a repeating loop in a segment of dirge featuring drums pounding with rather less musicality than a pneumatic drill. A few times round and the blood pressure is on the rise. Bah, humbug!

Come 1:30, it continues. No sign of the news.

Then they say it's the World at One. But no news, they just (re)play parts of the ceremony, with dreary interviews and vox pops.

Right through to 2:30, when they return officially to funeral stuff.

OK, if you want to play Late Queen all day, that's your decision. But then for **** sake don't tantalise us with the prospect of the World at bloomin' One! Lying website, lying ******s.

[kiloran]

Don't fret, it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chill

--kiloran

[mc2fool]

Don't fret, it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chill

--kiloran

So was the death of Phil the Greek, with much the same blanket-nothing-else-happening-anywhere-else coverage from the Beeb.

And there's the coronation of Charles III to look forward to, another once-in-a-lifetime event.....

[Bminusrob]

Goodness me, UncleEbenezer. Where have you been for the past 20 years. The main stream media have stopped reporting news for many a year. They pick one story, and report nothing but that story, specuation on the story, what the consequences may be (in their, usually biased) opinion, interviews with someone whose name is an anagram of the story headline, etc.

In recent history, this includes electricity prices, Partygate, Covid, Brexit, and so on. I find the best bet is to listen to the news on outlets such as Classic FM. Today, it was probably 90% about the queen's funeral too, but at least you would only waste three minutes finding out.

[Gersemi]

Well if AiY's figures in the Queen is Dead thread is correct then 4.1bn people are watching the funeral - so almost literally nothing else is happening.

[UncleEbenezer]

Don't fret, it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chill

--kiloran

So was the death of Phil the Greek, with much the same blanket-nothing-else-happening-anywhere-else coverage from the Beeb.

And there's the coronation of Charles III to look forward to, another once-in-a-lifetime event.....

For those of us below pension age, there's at least an on-balance chance of witnessing the whole thing again in our lifetimes. For younger folk there's a likelihood of living to witness a third succession.

Jost because her late majesty reigned longer than most of us have been alive doesn't mean it'll always happen. Indeed, the prospect now is exceedingly remote, unless succession passes rapidly from both Charles and his son through to his grandson. Which would in turn imply more such events, including at least one untimely death.

If the beeb want to do blanket coverage all day, they should say so. Not present us a web page telling us there's an hour's respite!

Well if AiY's figures in the Queen is Dead thread is correct then 4.1bn people are watching the funeral - so almost literally nothing else is happening.

Yesterday there was a big hurricane making news from Japan. Did the weather stop for this event?

[mc2fool]

Don't fret, it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Chill

--kiloran

So was the death of Phil the Greek, with much the same blanket-nothing-else-happening-anywhere-else coverage from the Beeb.

And there's the coronation of Charles III to look forward to, another once-in-a-lifetime event.....

For those of us below pension age, there's at least an on-balance chance of witnessing the whole thing again in our lifetimes. For younger folk there's a likelihood of living to witness a third succession.

Jost because her late majesty reigned longer than most of us have been alive doesn't mean it'll always happen. Indeed, the prospect now is exceedingly remote, unless succession passes rapidly from both Charles and his son through to his grandson. Which would in turn imply more such events, including at least one untimely death.

Methinks you missed the point of my, admittedly slightly sarcastic, reply to kiloran.

There was only one Phil the Greek, so the death of Phil the Greek was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
There was only one QE II, so the death of QE II was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
There is only one Charles III, so the coronation of Charles III will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

As you say (and I tried to imply) there are likely to be many other once-in-a-lifetime events in most people's lifetimes going forward ....

[Howyoudoin]

Goodness me, UncleEbenezer. Where have you been for the past 20 years. The main stream media have stopped reporting news for many a year. They pick one story, and report nothing but that story, specuation on the story, what the consequences may be (in their, usually biased) opinion, interviews with someone whose name is an anagram of the story headline, etc.

In recent history, this includes electricity prices, Partygate, Covid, Brexit, and so on. I find the best bet is to listen to the news on outlets such as Classic FM. Today, it was probably 90% about the queen's funeral too, but at least you would only waste three minutes finding out.

Good job the BBC News tv channel have an excuse to report 24 hours a day on one single subject otherwise they might have to report on the ‘large scale’ race riots going on in Leicester.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... 943952.amp

HYD