We’re a bit sick of the commentary here…..

[concernedrepurplehouse]

I, my sons, my uncle and even my royal-obsessed mum are a bit weary of the endless time-filling interviews with random people and the endless repetitive footage of the Queen doing this that and the other.

I think the most impressive bit by far was the notice on the palace gates - commentary free, like the Queen!

by all means show the rituals, briefly explain particular ceremonies and wear black but this is exhausting. I’ve got commentary fatigue

@MusicOfTheTraffic im so incredibly sorry for your loss - I don’t think you’re alone in thinking the way you do but I know that’s of no comfort x

Wow i didn't realise the coverage was constant. I haven't watched much. I saw the announcement by Huw Thursday and Charles's speech, was that Friday? I haven't seen anything else. I'm not a royalist and i don't do watch much live tv ordinarily. I will enjoy seeing a review of the highlights - that tractor guard sounded fab.

My 90yo grandma has been watching it all day every day, it's just about the only tribute she can pay, so for that reason I am glad.
She has lived in the reign of 5 monarch's, I doubt she'll see Charles out.

But our household, we dip in and out. There are a lot of other channels, and streaming services which we turn to between times.

I wish there was just less commentary. I don't mind some of it - I like to know the historical bits and the what's happening and who everyone is, so I'd rather not just use the red button with no commentary.

But the BBC did a particularly bad job of it with the procession from Holyrood to St Giles yesterday, really really filling every single second with slow waffly commentary that was just word salad at times, total filler. I could very much have done without that - but I still wanted occasional bits of commentary to find out what was happening. I don't have sky or anything like that, though I guess I will try ITV or something next time. I do like the BBC news generally but I did wish they could have a happy medium between nothing and every-second-filled.

Yes this:
“The thread is going off topic. It's about the commentary which is utterly excruciating as they continue to bamble on, pause and slow down whilst they keep thinking of things to say.

They were constantly talking over a church service the other day, couldn't even hear the music. I counted a ten second pause yesterday and this was only because the Queen came out of the gates at Holyrood. Someone needs to tell the BBC.”

Just in case people might find it useful, if you go on iPlayer, there are some commentary free version of some of the proceeding so far.

I think a happy medium would be good really. I like some commentary if it's informative, to learn about the history etc but they seem to have to have fill every silence with talking. Some silence is good as it's part of the atmosphere.

So sights and sounds that would be striking perhaps moving if left unadorned lose all their power with the endless commentary especially the non-factual.

these rituals were design to have an impact without a narrator. Adding a narrator destroys the impact.

Thanks usual. I might check out the no commentary option -can you still hear the music?

Yes you can hear all the church music etc, it's quite lovely actually.

But they really are all or nothing as with the no commentary version there's nothing to tell you who's who etc but it is nicer than the constant waffle!

Well you’ve given me a solution {at the cost of spoiling my whinge}

I couldn't agree more! During the accession, it was brilliant hearing the historians talking about protocol. But then hearing from a random woman in the crowd, even as the band started playing and moving into position - not so much.

During the drive down to Edinburgh, the hearse passed the wonderful farmers' tractor tribute but they didn't mention it AT ALL. Someone was just rambling on.

I don't want to hear from random people in the crowds. I don't want to hear journalists' favourite memory of the Queen. I want to hear from people in the know, or silence.

During sporting events, they don't keep cutting to interview the crowd, or asking Piers Morgan for his favourite memory of Boris Becket...

I agree! I love watching all the ceremonies but I find im missing them because they are buried between hours of interviews with the crowd and reporters repeating what we have seen over and over again for filler. I wish they would just have the important parts on and put the rest on another channel.

OP, I haven't RTFT but your TV has an OFF button for a reason 🙄

OP, I haven't RTFT but your TV has an OFF button for a reason 🙄

Like MN has a "hide thread" button.

Did you watch for 6 hours?!

DH and I were saying exactly the same thing yesterday. We ended up putting the mute button on when the procession to St Giles was taking place because of the continuous commentary. I have no problem with hearing about historical aspects but the need for every reporter just to keep talking but not actually saying much is quite wearing. We're going up to London tomorrow to pay our respects and hopefully be able to see the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. It will be refreshing to be part of the occasion without hearing a reporters words every minute or so.

we have been watching an awful lot of iPlayer, Netflix, Prime and catching up on stuff we've recorded.

This was all inevitable though. Even more so now we have rolling news, but I remember thinking years and years ago - probably 20 years ago - that it will be hideous when the Queen dies because that's all they'll talk about. At least now we have a hell of a lot more channels.

I think a lot of it is performative, they have to be seen to be 'doing the right thing' but no-one knows quite what that is.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when Charles dies. There won't be the same fondness for him, and realistically it will be in the next 20-odd years so nowhere near as long on the throne. Will they feel the need to do exactly as they did for the Queen, or will it be scaled back?

I know what you mean. My mum (staying with her at present) has the BBC on all the time. What has struck me at times is how out-of-their-depth some of the commentators seem to be. They literally don't know what is about to happen (I noticed this especially when King Charles got out of his car to speak with well-wishers at the gates of Buckingham Palace and when the Waleses and Sussexes appeared together in Windsor), but have no option other than to keep talking.

That said, the absence of Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt and Escape to the Country is a blessed relief and an unlooked-for mercy.

I just put on the picture with no sound. If there is something happening I want to know about I notch up the volume for a couple of mins then turn it back down.

Absolutely. I work from home and like a bit of radio to give me adult company. I have no interst in the monarchy and any of this =- enough now!

That said, the absence of Antiques Road Trip, Bargain Hunt and Escape to the Country is a blessed relief and an unlooked-for mercy.

Unfortunately DH has found the first two over on BBC2 along with Pointless

I know what you mean.
I'm no avid royalist but am sufficiently interested to want to watch the key elements as I think these are truly historic events. And I like it when the commentators explain parts of the ceremonies that I wouldn't necessarily understand or say who people I don't recognise are, so I don't really want to watch without any commentary at all.
But the constant talking yesterday was a bit much. I did read somewhere that yesterday's commentator is a radio presenter which might have partially explained it, but sometimes less is more on tv.
And I'm switching the sound off for the "fillers" mainly and just putting it back on when something is actually happening. To be honest I'm not that interested in hearing from people who gave the Queen a bunch of flowers when they were in primary school or once served Camilla in a shop. And I certainly don't need the "insight" of the stream of minor celebs they're wheeling out on the BBC.
When I was young the BBC used to be the quality channel for this kind of thing but it's not covering itself with glory at present. Lots of people are saying Sky News is better but unfortunately we don't have it.

This ^

DH insisted on having the TV coverage on - although we were outside doing DIY 🙄 - but although I'm in favour of the monarchy and thought the Queen was amazing, I couldn't be doing with all that inane waffle...so I put the tv on mute 😉

Breaking News: Queen Still Dead.

It's completely ridiculous now.

But entertainment is not being subdued. The whole thing is being presented as entertainment.