[TWO ident]

I’m fairly sure BBC News/BBC1 was 6.32 so Sky News beat them by a nose.

[Frances]

Does anyone know where the news was broken first? Was it Huw on BBC One?

Press Association at proper 1830, then I heard on 5 live one min later.
Before Huw read the announcement on BBC One and NC, the picture was already showing the palace flag lowering to half-mast…

Of course that we are expecting the news from Balmoral that she’s having a treatment or that… indeed… they’re unable to help Her Majesty anymore.

[ShinyBat]

Does anyone know where the news was broken first? Was it Huw on BBC One?

Good question!

I would guess that it wasn't, not quite; that announcement was immediately preceded by the long shot of the flag.

Sky just started their link before the ticker clock turned to 18:31. Their upload of Truss's speech shows the ticker turning to 19:08 just as she opens her black book with her script; ITV's livestream of their evening coverage has this moment at 2:08:30, meaning the stream started at 16:59:30. Mary starts to break the news (before that abortive pause to check the statement) at 1:32:18 on that same video, so at 18:31:48.

No on-screen clock for BBC, and the section between 18:00 and the News Report slide (which contains the first BBC One announcement) is no longer on iPlayer, so I don't have a time for the BBC. But my suspicion is Murnaghan on Sky was first.

[Andrew]

I think at the end of the day ‘they were all basically at the same time’ is what I feel the answer to the question is.

As all the main three were already in coverage there was no delay breaking in

Huw chatting normally in general terms and then pausing and completely changing tone and announcing the death is a pretty surreal moment. I bet it won’t be remembered in history and the announcement post black screen will be wrongly assumed to be the first announcement.

And I’m hoping for Mary’s sake, her announcement doesn’t go down in history at all, as it’s a shame it went a bit wrong after all the many hours (and indeed decades) of flawless broadcasting

[eyeTV]

Didn't they all get the news from the Royal Family twitter which went out at 18:30?

Or was it just embargoed until then? There felt to be a complete lack of preparedness on the part of some broadcasters.

[Omnipresent]

Fiona Bruce is now presenting a BBC News special from what looks like 54D.

[Newsroom]

I am happy Fiona features in this coverage and yes, it is 54D.

[Axolotl]

The Newsnight studio (with light blue sofa covers) must have been the most suitable for the timeslot, and is being used by Fiona Bruce firstly to introduce the new King's speech from earlier this evening, and now an extended interview with Tony Blair on the passing of the Crown.

[all new phil]

I suspect that Huw Edwards and those in News were informed at about 5pm. That was the time that Clive Myrie appeared for roughly ten minutes presenting (for Huw to be briefed?). There was a moment where Clive stumbled over his words - I thought at the time that he was distracted at something in his earpiece. It also fits in with Liz Truss being informed at about 4.30pm.

[ShinyBat]

Didn't they all get the news from the Royal Family twitter which went out at 18:30?

Or was it just embargoed until then? There felt to be a complete lack of preparedness on the part of some broadcasters.

There was almost certainly an embargo of some sort; we have been told that the PM knew at 16:30, and a two-hour embargo is comparable to the length held for Diana (although that may not actually be a good comparison at all, because that embargo was likely in order to wake the family given the overnight timing so that they heard before the public, and this one was almost certainly to buy time for protocol wheels to get in motion).

There is a notification-type ringing sound audible in the background of the rolling coverage around 15:00 (1:24:31 in the afternoon BBC News Special), followed about a minute later by whispering of some kind. Possible that is when the BBC are informed; this is backed up by the deleted Yalda Hakim tweet being shortly after (15:07), but not by Truss apparently learning at 16:30, because the first act of Operation London Bridge was meant to be the PM being informed?

Very confusing. As Phil says, consistent with the Truss timing is Myrie's brief spell in relief.