The BBC has responded to complaints about its coverage of the death of HRH The Prince Philip.
The BBC cancelled all of its TV across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four last Friday after the sad news broke.
A record 110,000 complaints were made about the amount of coverage, with the BBC now issuing its response.
They said in a statement today (15 April): “The passing of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was a significant event which generated a lot of interest both nationally and internationally.
“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.
“We are grateful for all feedback, and we always listen to the response from our audiences.”
Further complaints were made by some viewers who felt it was inappropriate for Prince Andrew to feature in the news coverage.
The BBC responded: “All of Prince Philip’s children gave a tribute to their father following his passing, which we have covered in our news programming.
“We have fully reported on the allegations against Prince Andrew, and we have also made it clear that he has not been charged with any crime. We consider we have appropriately covered his comments.”
The BBC also responded to complaints about the delay to the MasterChef final which eventually aired last night.
They said: “We acknowledge viewers were disappointed that MasterChef:The Final was dropped from the schedule to accommodate coverage of the passing of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“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.
“The programme was rescheduled to air on 14 April at 8pm on BBC One. “
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