[James2001]

I do fear that in the future when programmes are made about how the news was broken, programmes will show the News report slide version of Huw and not the original announcement, which would in part rewrite history.

Particularly as the original announcement was preceeded by a shot of the flag at half mast, which itself really should be shown as part of these programmes as it's visually very striking, even more so than the "news report" slide.

[Larry the Loafer]

Didn't the BBC NC announce Prince Phillip's death before announcing it across the network? I wouldn't be surprised if that second announcement has been written in history as "the moment".

[ShinyBat]

I can't remember the scenario with Prince Philip but was that news also released by the Royal Family social media ahead of broadcast media?

It was, yes. Except that one had no warning whatsoever so it's possible broadcast media was genuinely caught out. The announcements were more thinly spread as a result as memory serves.

Martine Croxall was midway through TOTH when the tweet dropped, and broke the news only after completion of the scheduled lead story of that hour (the colour-coded list system for international travel being rolled out for that phase of the pandemic.)

That was on NC, which Two simulcast at that point, and One only came in a few minutes later for the coordinated network announcement. Same as this one then, except it was a One simulcast of NC and Two joining.

[Worzel]

I can't remember the scenario with Prince Philip but was that news also released by the Royal Family social media ahead of broadcast media?

Yes.

[Josh]

Yes, I remember watching a video of that TOTH and you could see journalists scrambling around in the newsroom during the trundle shot/behind Martine during the top story. Martine definitely looked visibly upset, as if she had seen something (which of course, she did).

[Andrew Wood]

My gosh, watching that back, and knowing what's happening, you can see and hear all the cues that something has happened. Her tone changes rapidly, as does her delivery. And the sharp intake of breath and immediate turn to her display as the first report plays out. But still so professional, and nothing obvious at the time.

[aaron_scotland]

Sky news were only told of the death 2 minutes before they announced it so I assume the BBC was similar

[Transmission]

Sky news were only told of the death 2 minutes before they announced it so I assume the BBC was similar

Yeah, from everything I've heard there were a lot of inferences made from the nature of the lunchtime statement which were then backed up by events like the family heading to Balmoral en masse, so certain wheels were set in motion but nobody knew for certain when the next update would be and whether it would be the actual announcement.

[Durrendurr]

Does anyone know who the commentator on the memorial service from St. Paul was? I thought it was odd that he never introduced himself and I can’t find any credit for it, nor was there a lower third, or an introduction by Ben Brown on NC.

Was it some sort of non-BBC World Feed? Seems unlikely…

[benzj]

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.

I didn't catch this line the first time around when it was live; I had had (a stream of) BBC One on due to the earlier coverage, and my eye was caught by the scene of the half-mast flag, at which point I turned the sound on -- just after Huw said this but just before the big moment. I heard this in full context later in one of the many YouTube reuploads of the moment posted earlier in this thread.

The context and the juxtaposition of that sentence coming just before the big announcement added such an extra weight and heft to the moment, at least in hindsight.