FACT CHECK: Did A British Radio Station Resume Playing Music After Announcing The Queen’s Death?
A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows BBC Radio 1 Dance resuming normal programming after announcing Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
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Verdict: False
The video is altered. A BBC broadcaster denied the claim, posting the original clip of the announcement to his Twitter account.
Fact Check:
The late monarch is expected to have a state funeral Sept. 19 to honor her devotion to the throne and “steadfast service,” according to CNN. Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived at Buckingham Palace Tuesday as part of a “week of pageantry,” NBC reported.
Now, an Instagram video purports BBC Radio 1 Dance resumed playing music after announcing the Queen’s death. The clip opens with a techno-based instrumental track before an announcement from BBC News is played.
“This is BBC News. We’re interrupting our schedules for the following announcement: Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” he says. The station then immediately transitions to the song “Bourgeois Beat” by The Sky Drops plays.
The clip is altered. Scott Bryan, a BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster shared a thread on Twitter showing the various announcements of the Queen’s death, including BBC Radio 1 Dance’s announcement.
For the record: BBC Radio 1 Dance did not cut away back to dance music after the announcement.
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) September 8, 2022
“[The station] did not cut away back to dance music after the announcement,” he wrote. (RELATED: Did Queen Elizabeth II Disparage Filipinos While Congratulating Ferdinand Marcos Jr. For Winning The 2022 Election?)
In addition, Bryan shared the original clip of the broadcast. In the clip, Tong delivers the news to listeners before playing “God Save The Queen.”
Here is the moment that all BBC radio programming in the United Kingdom was suspended and united under a single broadcast to announce the death of HM The Queen pic.twitter.com/q7Oj16cGzY
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) September 8, 2022
Following the Queen’s death, all BBC Radio stations suspended regular programming in favor of news coverage, Bryan said in a subsequent tweet. The stations resumed broadcasts Friday with music stations “playing chilled songs with minimal interruptions.”
Check Your Fact has contacted a BBC Radio 1 spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
