The 2006 Broadcast

 

Location:  Southwark Cathedral

Produced by:  ITN

Theme:  In the year in which she had celebrated her eightieth birthday, Elizabeth II speaks of how the older generation can help bridge the generation gap with the young.  The Queen emphasizes the success of the various faith communities in harmonizing the different generations, based on the teachings of scripture and centuries of tradition.  While acknowledging the 'very generous response' to her eightieth birthday, Her Majesty speaks of her admiration of the 'energy and vitality' of young people, and how the wisdom and experience of the older generation can add a 'sense of context' to help them realize their ambitions.

Commentary:  While there is much to admire about the 2006 broadcast, ITN do not make the most of the unprecedented setting.  Never before had the Queen delivered her annual message from one of England's great religious buildings;  however we see very little of Southwark Cathedral.  Most of the Queen's narration takes place in front of a window (with the obligatory Christmas tree in view) which, while presumably within the precincts of Southwark Cathedral could, frankly, be anywhere.  Only in the closing moments of the broadcast, where the Queen speaks in front of the High Altar, does the viewer get a glimpse of this glorious building.  The broadcast would have been far more impressive visually if the bulk of the narration had been done from here.

The footage of the Queen mingling with adults and children involved in a community project is handled much better.  We see Her Majesty asking questions and making observations in an informal setting, then looking at the camera and narrating a few words of her address.

For the first time, the Christmas message was made available as a podcast.

Trivia:  In an embarrassing coincidence, in the period between the filming of the 2006 Message and its broadcast on Christmas Day, there were press reports that the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Tom Butler, was witnessed leaving a party considerably the worse for wear.  The bishop (who did not appear in the broadcast) maintained that he had no recollection of the incident, and said that to have been drunk would have been 'entirely out of character.' 

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The 2007 Broadcast

Location:  Buckingham Palace

Produced by:  BBC

Theme:  

 

On the fiftieth anniversary of her first televised broadcast, Elizabeth II reflects on the process of change, and how one becomes increasingly aware not only of change as one grows older, but also constant, unchanging values.  Recalling the diamond wedding anniversary she celebrated with the Duke of Edinburgh the previous month, Her Majesty emphasises the unchanging importance of a happy family.  The Queen reminds her audience that the Christmas story - the birth of Jesus - is also the story of a family.

Commentary:   

 

Here the BBC blended innovation with an impressive 'classic' look which would provide the template for the next few broadcasts.  Television technology had advanced over the past few years, which meant that the impressive interiors of Buckingham Palace (here the 1844 Room) could be seen in greater detail and in widescreen:  it was no longer a case of the Queen speaking from a desk in a corner.  Therefore, the BBC could take advantage of what is essentially an ideal ready-made set and returned to the enduring image of Her Majesty addressing her people from the Palace. 

The Queen's first televised broadcast from 1957 is used as the 'book ends' of this broadcast.  The original 1957 introduction (together with the playing of the national anthem) is used, and the Queen's opening words from that broadcast are heard.  The footage then blends into a monitor from which the Queen is seen to be watching, before Her Majesty begins her 2007 address.  At the end of the Broadcast, the Queen's festive greeting from the end of the 1957 message is replayed.

In a further development, this was the first Christmas message to be broadcast by Buckingham Palace on YouTube, on the newly created Royal Channel.

 

Notes:

 

This was the first time the 1844 Room had been used as the location for a Christmas Broadcast since 1961.

 

As well as providing an opportunity to observe technological developments between 1957 and 2007, viewers are also able to note any subtle changes in Her Majesty's accent over the period.

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The 2008 Broadcast

Location:  Buckingham Palace

Produced by:  BBC

Theme: In what is sometimes described as a 'sombre' speech, the Queen refers to 'troubled times', and deals with the issues of the economic downturn, servicemen and women risking their lives in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the ninetieth anniversary of the end of the First World War.  Her Majesty also pays tribute to the work of her son, the Prince of Wales, who had celebrated his sixtieth birthday the previous month.  The Queen ends by recalling the example of Jesus in helping those in need.

Commentary:  Surprisingly, this was the first time that the Music Room of Buckingham Palace was used as the setting for a Christmas broadcast, and it was chosen by the Queen (as she mentions in the address) to mark the Christening of Prince Charles there sixty years earlier.  The large and elegant interior of the Music Room is an ideal venue for the widescreen and digital television age, and the effect is visually impressive.

The Broadcast contains footage of the Queen and other members of her family, including Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and the Countess Of Wessex at work during the royal year.  Prince Charles is, unsurprisingly, particularly well-showcased.  

At the end of the Broadcast, never before-seen private footage of the then 23 year old Princess Elizabeth with the infant prince Charles is played to the accompaniment of a choir of children singing O Little Town Of Bethlehem.

It was perhaps unfair of some sections of the media to describe the speech as 'sombre'.  It is true that the Queen often deals with serious issues and invariably uses her annual message to remember those who suffer, those in need and those who risk their lives in the line of duty. However, Elizabeth II almost always puts national difficulties within the positive context of the Christmas message and ends on an uplifting note.

Notes:  In the 1960s and 70s Elizabeth II had met with resistance from British prime ministers Harold Wilson and Edward Heath when she had attempted in her Christmas broadcast to refer to economic difficulties in the United Kingdom.  In 2008, however, incumbent prime minister Gordon Brown appears to have approved the Queen's words, perhaps because Her Majesty stresses the global nature of the financial crisis rather than speak of a specifically British problem.

Also shown in the Broadcast is poignant footage of the last three known British survivors of World War I, Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and Bill Stone, at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday the previous November.  All three had died by the following Remembrance Sunday.

Trivia:  Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that the Queen is wearing a more stylish-looking pair of rimless spectacles rather than her familiar plastic-framed glasses. 

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The 2009 Broadcast

Location:  Buckingham Palace

Produced by:  ITN

Theme:  In what she describes as 'a difficult year for many', the Queen acknowledges the work, dedication and risks encountered by the Armed Forces, especially those serving in Afghanistan, stating, 'the debt of gratitude owed to these young men and women, and to their predecessors, is indeed profound'. Her Majesty also stresses the importance of the Commonwealth, having recently attended a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Commentary:  After another difficult year for Britain and the Commonwealth, the Queen recalls the continuing recession and the growing number of casualties in Afghanistan.  The importance of the Commonwealth is a recurring theme in the Christmas broadcasts, as Elizabeth II has always taken her role as its Head very seriously.  Similarly, Her Majesty is acutely aware of her role as head of the Armed Forces and regularly remembers servicemen and women who endanger their lives in the call of duty, especially at times of combat;  this year footage from the Cenotaph in London is shown for the second year running as well as from other Remembrance commemorations.

For the second year running the Queen makes a brief reference to the economic difficulties being encountered by many.

Two versions of God Save the Queen are played in this Broadcast, blending the traditional with the innovative.  At the beginning, we hear the conventional arrangement, accompanied by images of Buckingham Palace appearing through nearly-bare trees in the winter subject; at the end of the Broadcast the same tune is played on steel drums by the Codringtons, a family from Trinidad. 

Production reverted to ITN, who built on the BBC's 'classic' look of the previous two years and created an aesthetically attractive feel to the 'set' with subtle use of lighting and long camera angles which took advantage of the grand surroundings of the White Drawing Room.

Notes:  One of the saddest sequences of footage ever used in a Christmas Broadcast is seen here, of the procession of coffins arriving in the United Kingdom after eight servicemen were killed in an unprecedented twenty-four hours of bloodshed in Afghanistan in July. The procession brought the town of Wootton Bassett to a standstill as hundreds of local people lined the streets as a mark of respect.

Trivia:  In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Buckingham Palace was firmly re-established as the 'default' location of the broadcast.  This was the eighth of the decade to be filmed here.

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The 2010 Broadcast

Location:  Hampton Court Palace

Produced by: ITN

Theme: Her Majesty reflects upon the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, and the importance of participation in sporting activities in helping to build community relations.

Commentary: The unusual venue of Hampton Court Palace was the Queen's own suggestion, because of the Palace's association with King James I (James VI of Scotland).  The choice of a location outside of the traditional royal residences draws parallels with the 2006 broadcast from Southwark Cathedral, also produced by ITN.

The Queen's address is filmed from two separate angles within the Chapel Royal.  The bulk of the broadcast is from the first angle, apparently a balcony.  While this provides a good view of the chapel and the choir in place, the Queen appears cramped and the lighting is unflattering.  The second angle, from which Her Majesty is filmed at ground level in front of a crib set and Christmas tree, looks much better, but this only accounts for the last minute or so of the broadcast.  In a pleasing innovation, as the Queen finishes speaking she looks towards the choir in their stalls who begin singing a carol.  The camera cuts back to show Her Majesty listening a couple of times during the singing.

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