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From the glory of the Coronation to the damp squib of 2012: how the Jubilee on TV has changed

An east London street celebrates the Jubilee in 1977 - Homer Sykes/Alamy Stock Photo
An east London street celebrates the Jubilee in 1977 - Homer Sykes/Alamy Stock Photo

Our TVs have turned red, white and blue. Broadcasters have been building up to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for the past month. We’ve already been treated to a televised contest to create the official platinum pudding and “a gallop through history” at Windsor Castle, hosted by the incongruous duo of Tom Cruise and Alan Titchmarsh.

The Jubilee-fication of the airwaves continued this week with a raft of royal documentaries, alongside special themed editions of Bargain Hunt and The Repair Shop. It all crescendos, of course, over the extended four-day Bank Holiday weekend. Colour will be trooped. Circumstance will be pomped. Thanks will be given.

But can the BBC get it right this time? Will its coverage be a majestic triumph or a right royal mess? On past evidence, it could go either way. Join us as we rewind the Queen’s four previous milestones. We’ve handily set them in context with a reminder of the news headlines and TV hits of the era, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t. For good measure, we’ve added what David Attenborough – born a mere 17 days after Her Majesty and also still going strong at 96 – was up to at the time. Let the horse-drawn parade down memory lane begin…

The Queen’s Coronation (2 June 1953)

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Royal programming: Prince Philip personally oversaw preparations and pushed for full TV coverage, against the wishes of the newly knighted Sir Winston Churchill, to prove the monarchy’s willingness to move with the times. Narrated by Richard Dimbleby across an epic seven-hour broadcast, it saw cameras allowed inside Westminster Abbey for the first time.

With televisions still a luxury item, owned by fewer than one in five households, millions crowded around a friend or neighbour’s set. Pubs and cinemas also put on screenings. More than 20m Britons watched the grainy black-and-white images, outnumbering the radio audience for the first time. The Coronation sparked wider interest in the medium. Sales of television sets rose sharply and ownership leapt to one in three households. It was the day when “the box” came of age and its reign began.

This is the news: With no proper news service on TV yet, radio bulletins read by John Snagge and Patricia Hughes included Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquering Everest. DNA was discovered. Blackpool won the FA Cup in “the Matthews final”.

Elsewhere on TV: Panel game What's My Line? was a huge ratings-puller. Come Dancing, sans the word Strictly, broadcast each week from regional ballrooms. Patrick Troughton became TV’s first Robin Hood and Nigel Kneale’s sci-fi drama The Quatermass Experiment aired. The Watch With Mother strand included Andy Pandy and Flower Pot Men (“Flobabdob! Weeeeeed!”) .

How many channels? Just the one. Competition from ITV didn’t come along until 1955.

What was David Attenborough doing? He’d just joined the BBC as a producer. Bigwigs thought his teeth were too big to appear on camera but, the following year, he made his presenting debut on Zoo Quest.

The Silver Jubilee (6-9 June 1977)

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Royal programming: The 25th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne culminated in four days of street parties, parades and pageantry. TV proceedings kicked off with Fires of Friendship on BBC One, which saw the Queen light a bonfire at Windsor Castle, setting off a nationwide chain of beacons. Valerie Singleton hosted a programme about the schools visited by the royals on their three-month UK tour, while Penelope Keith read Jubilee Jackanory.

An estimated 500m around the Commonwealth watched events but it took up notably less screen time back then. On the Bank Holiday itself, live BBC coverage ran for a modest five hours, with the credits rolling in time for a teatime screening of Black Beauty. On the fourth day of festivities came a boat trip up the Thames and a fireworks display. Newsreader Richard Baker narrated, with Raymond Baxter from Tomorrow’s World stationed on the water.

This is the news: TV bulletins read by Richard Whitmore and Anna Ford included Jim Callaghan locking horns with British Leyland over strikes. Red Rum won his third Grand National, while Virginia Wade took the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.

Elsewhere on TV: Morecambe & Wise and Mike Yarwood attracted blockbuster ratings. Residents in Doctor Who’s Tardis were Tom Baker, companion Leela and robot dog K9. ITV action dramas The Professionals and Charlie’s Angels made their debuts, while Robert Powell starred in Jesus of Nazareth. Top Gear began, co-hosted by Angela Rippon.

How many channels? Three, with BBC Two having launched in 1964.

What was David Attenborough doing? Working on landmark series Life on Earth, which was three years in the making and would air in 1979, establishing him as the foremost TV naturalist.

The Golden Jubilee (3-4 June 2002)

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Royal programming: Fêtes were held nationwide, while over one million attended The Mall parade. BBC One's wall-to-wall coverage lasted almost 10 hours, with ratings peaking at 11.6m for the flypast of RAF planes and Concorde.

Blue Peter ran an art competition for portraits of the Queen. Impressionist Alistair McGowan did a royal-themed sketch show. Prom at the Palace was held in Buckingham Palace Gardens, headlined by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Its pop equivalent, Party at the Palace, was hosted by Lenny Henry and Ben Elton. The most memorable moments were guitarist Brian May playing God Save the Queen on the roof and Paul McCartney’s climactic set of Beatles hits. Tom Jones bellowing Sex Bomb is probably best forgotten.

This is the news: TV bulletins read by Huw Edwards and Fiona Bruce included Churchill being voted the Greatest Briton of all time by TV viewers. Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother both died within a sad seven-week period. Arsenal won the league-and-cup double for the third time.

Elsewhere on TV: Will Young beat Gareth Gates in the final of ITV singing contest Pop Idol. Have I Got News For You host Angus Deayton was sacked after a tabloid sex scandal. Spooks, Sport Relief, Fame Academy and I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! made their debuts, while Top Gear relaunched in its all-conquering new format.

How many channels? Five terrestrial stations, plus dozens more on cable and satellite. The Freeview package of 30 digital channels was launched.

What was David Attenborough doing? Major 10-parter The Life of Mammals. His 50th year in TV was also marked by a tribute documentary, Life on Air.

The Diamond Jubilee (2-5 June 2012)

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Royal programming: On the plus side, there was a TV tribute to his “mummy” by the Prince of Wales, while Fiona Bruce explored The Queen's Palaces. The evening saw the Diamond Jubilee Concert, starring a string of pop knights: Sir Elton, Sir Paul, Sir Cliff. And, ahem, Kylie.

But the ill-fated Thames Pageant was a damp squib, with torrential rain and a random ragtag of guests. A soggy Tess Daly wittered inanely on the riverbank. Fearne Cotton discussed royal memorabilia with singer Paloma Faith, the lowlight of which was the pair inspecting a red, white and blue sickbag. Within days, the BBC received 5,000 complaints. Stephen Fry called it “mind-numbingly tedious”, adding that he “expected better of the Beeb”. Michael Buerk, a BBC man himself, was even more biting: “A succession of preening daytime airheads gossiped with even more vacuous D-list celebrities. Cringingly inept.”

Rolf Paints The Diamond Jubilee was even more disastrous. A woman driven to alcoholism by years of sexual abuse by Rolf Harris reported him to police after bursting into tears when he appeared on-screen. He was later sentenced to five years in prison on 12 counts of indecent assault.

This is the news: TV bulletins read by Clive Myrie and Sophie Raworth included London hosting an unforgettable Summer Olympics. The Shard opened, becoming Britain’s tallest building.

Elsewhere on TV: Singer Adele raised the middle finger when her Brit Awards acceptance speech was cut short. The Conservative party suspended Nadine Dorries MP for entering the I’m a Celebrity jungle. Hit dramas Call the Midwife, Line of Duty, Homeland and Endeavour all made their debuts.

How many channels? The country completed its transfer from analogue to digital, with 400-plus channels available.

What was David Attenborough doing? Branching out to broadcast on Sky, with 3D productions The Penguin King and Kingdom of Plants.