Channel 4 has confirmed the new series of Gogglebox will air this evening as planned as the broadcaster feels it will bring a “valuable sense of continuity” for many of their viewers.
The broadcaster said it had made “significant changes” to its schedule in the wake of the Queen’s death but that its purpose was to offer an “alternative” for viewers which it feels is “particularly important at times like this”. This comes as many British channels including BBC One and ITV continue to make changes to their regular programming schedules as a period of mourning begins for the late monarch.
The hit TV show will launch its new series and return to screens as planned in its usual Friday 9pm slot. In a statement a Channel 4 spokesperson said: “Channel 4 has made significant changes to our schedule, including added extended news coverage, to ensure that Channel 4 is respectful following the news from Buckingham Palace about the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
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“Channel 4 exists to offer viewers an alternative and that is particularly important at times like this. Gogglebox is a much loved national institution and it will air as planned tonight bringing a valuable sense of continuity for many of our viewers.”
Comedy chat show The Last Leg was due to follow on from Gogglebox on the Channel 4 schedule but the show’s presenter Adam Hills announced they had cancelled the episode as it “didn’t feel right”. Hills, who hosts the show with Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe, tweeted on Friday: “We’ve decided not to do an episode of @thelastleg tonight.
“It just doesn’t feel right. We’ll pay tribute to Her Majesty next week but for now our thoughts are with her family, and all those affected by the news. We hope you understand.”
BBC One has been aired rolling news coverage throughout Friday with a BBC News Special filling regular TV slots and coverage of a thanksgiving service in memory of the Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral scheduled for 5.45 pm.
Programmes including EastEnders, Homes Under The Hammer, Bargain Hunt and Doctors moved from their usual channel and were airing on BBC Two throughout the day. Similarly, the new BBC Two programming schedule includes the additions of Animal Park, Best Bakes Ever, Money For Nothing, Garden Rescue and The Bidding Room.
Alexander Armstrong’s quiz show Pointless will also appear on the BBC Two schedule at 5.15pm before Garden Rescue, which also moved channels on Friday. On Thursday, BBC One interrupted Bargain Hunt at 12.39pm to deliver the statement from Buckingham Palace which said royal doctors were concerned for the Queen’s health.
Six hours later, after an image of the flag at Buckingham Palace was shown at half mast, presenter Huw Edwards told viewers: “A few moments ago Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
Edwards then read out the statement from the Palace while dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie, in line with the BBC’s dress code for when a member of the royal family dies, as a mark of respect.
Netflix series The Crown was also among the productions to amend its filming schedule. A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed: “As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.”
ITV also made scheduling changes, showing continuous news coverage through the night which looked back at the Queen’s life and her reign, including her decades of service to the country. On Good Morning Britain, presenter Susanna Reid said: “It is quite a moment, we knew this moment was coming and yet it is still a shock. Only those over 70 years old have known any other monarch and now we will all know another one.
“The longest reign of any monarch, the most constant presence in all of our lives, she was the steady presence as Queen while everything else changed over the decades. Dignified, dutiful, devoted to our country, to the Commonwealth, to her family, and to a life of service which has been both reassuring, comforting, but also inspiring.
“I was reflecting yesterday, we knew that she couldn’t be immortal and yet I think we all hoped she might be. It is quite a moment, I think it will take time for it to sink in.”
Good Morning Britain was followed by an extended ITV News special programme presented by Mary Nightingale and Tom Bradby throughout the day. The pair were joined by special guests reflecting on the Queen’s “majesty and legacy”.
Correspondents stationed across the nation have been sharing public reactions from locations including Canada Gate, Balmoral and Cardiff, as well as across the Commonwealth nations including Canada, Australia and Antigua. Another programme airing at 8.30pm, called Queen Elizabeth II – The Longest Reign, will be presented by Jonathan Dimbleby, followed by an extended hour-long ITV News At Ten bulletin presented by Julie Etchingham.
All TV anchors across channels were dressed in black on Friday as a mark of respect. Big TV launches next week include the return of the Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 on September 13 and the return of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One on September 17, but it is not yet known if their scheduling will be affected.
The BBC also announced that Radio 2’s Live In Leeds event will not take place next weekend. A statement said: “Following the very sad news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, as a mark of respect, BBC Radio 2 Live in Leeds will now not take place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September.
“Ticket holders will be issued with refunds via the ticketing provider”.
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