The 1986 Broadcast

Location:  Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace

Produced by:  BBC

Theme:   Speaking from the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II links a Christmas party held at the stables for the children of Palace staff with the story of the first Christmas, and the greater hardship faced by the Holy Family when the baby Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room at the Inn.

Her Majesty observes that despite the humble nature of his birth, Jesus  'was to have a profound influence on the course of history, and on the lives of generations of his followers.'  The Queen notes that although Jesus was fortunate to be born into a loving family, 'we must not forget that there are some children who are victims of ill treatment and neglect' and we should live according to God's message of love.

Commentary:  Following the death of Richard Cawston, Palace officials selected David (not yet Sir David) Attenborough to take over as producer of the Broadcast.  Although best known, of course, for his nature and wildlife documentaries over many decades, Attenbourough also had an experienced record as a producer and administrator for the BBC, rising to the level of controller of BBC Two and later director of programming.  Nevertheless, Attenborough states in his memoirs Life on Air that he was surprised to be asked to take over the Broadcast, but felt he could not refuse the insistent Palace.  Attenborough's approach would be to try new things without compromising the magic and mystique of monarchy:  'My view was that it was a mistake to try and get a chatty, domestic, I'm-just-an-ordinary-person kind of feel.  The whole point in having Royalty is that the Sovereign is not the same as other people...Equally, we ought to be a little more imaginative than simply to ask Her Majesty to sit behind an ormolu-decorated desk.  What we needed was an occasion where the Queen could be properly queenly' (Attenborough, Life On Air, 2002, p.313).

It did not take long for Attenborough to find an opportunity;  when he heard about an annual Christmas party the Queen gave in the Royal Mews for the children of Palace staff he seized upon the relevance of stables to the Christmas story.  The result was one of the most atmospheric and 'Christmassy' Broadcasts of Elizabeth II's reign.

The production begins with scenes of the Queen mingling with guests outside the stables as the children await the appearance of Father Christmas, who subsequently arrives on a horse-drawn sleigh accompanied by two pipers.  We then see Her Majesty inside the Mews talking to a group of children about some of the horses.  A group of carol singers process through the stables singing Away In A Manger before the camera cuts to the Queen who, standing in front of some horses, delivers her speech to camera.  The programme ends with the playing of God Save The Queen, moved from the beginning of the Broadcast to the end, as the Royal Standard flutters in the night breeze.

Trivia:

David Attenborough was pleased and relieved about how smoothly his first production had gone, only to be told by cameraman Philip Bonham Carter that the speech scene needed to be re-shot, thanks to an apparently ventriloquising horse standing behind Her Majesty:  'The Queen was talking to the camera when suddenly I noticed a horse directly behind her head which was curling its lip, showing its teeth and looking as though it was mimicking her words. It also looked as if it was nibbling her ear.' When she learned of why it had been necessary to record a second version, the amused monarch asked to see the original so she could 'share the joke' (Life On Air, p.314).

The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace is a working stables dating back to 1825, which trains the Windsor Greys and Cleveland Beys horses used to pull the royal carriages.  It is also the place where State carriages (including the 1762 Gold State Coach used at coronations and jubilees) and vehicles are housed and maintained.

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