The 1987 Broadcast

Location:  Buckingham Palace

Produced by:  BBC

Theme:  In the wake of the IRA-orchestrated bombings in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Remembrance Sunday 1987 in which eleven people lost their lives, Elizabeth II calls for peace, tolerance and understanding between communities and remembers the innocent victims of violence.  The Queen warns: 'It is only too easy for passionate loyalty to one's own country, race or religion, or even to one's favourite football club, to be corroded into intolerance, bigotry and ultimately into violence';  however, Her Majesty praises Gordon Wilson, who, after his daughter died in the Enniskillen attack, publicly displayed forgiveness towards her killers.  Elizabeth II cites the Commonwealth Day inter-faith Observance at Westminster Abbey, which she attends annually, as an encouraging 'symbol of mutual tolerance'.

In the year of her Ruby Wedding anniversary, Her Majesty also reflects on the passage of time and how age can bring the 'compensations' of experience.  She thanks those who sent good wishes but also alludes to some of the 'darker' letters in her postbag.

Commentary:  After the previous year's foray into the Royal Mews, the Broadcast returns to the more familiar surroundings of the Regency Room.  However, David Attenborough, in his second production, seems determined to put his stamp on the Broadcast and make things a little more - well - 'Christmassy'.  Incredibly, exactly thirty years after Elizabeth II's first televised broadcast, this was the first time that Her Majesty spoke with a Christmas tree in view. Form time to time a vase of Christmas roses or a smattering of cards were visible in previous broadcasts, but until this year a festive look was by no means the norm. This was the first of the cosy, festive corners created in the Regency Room, with subdued lighting and twinkling tree lights, which became the hallmark of the Attenborough productions and would be the 'default look' of the Broadcasts in subsequent years;  from this point on the Queen would always be accompanied by a Christmas tree.

A BBC investigation was launched after contents of the Christmas Message were leaked to the press for the first time in 1987.  It was erroneously reported by six newspapers that the Queen would use her speech to condemn the IRA for the first time, following the Enniskillen bombings.  In fact, Elizabeth II made no mention of the IRA; rather she made a generalised call to all sides for peace.  The leak was ultimately traced to then BBC Royal Correspondent Michael Cole who, thinking he was speaking off the record, discussed contents of the speech at a royal reporters' Christmas lunch.  Cole was subsequently moved from his post.  Cole told the 2015 BBC documentary Cue The Queen:  Celebrating The Christmas Speech, 'Tabloid newspapers can make a front page news story out of only one word;  it was to my profound and everlasting regret that they did.'

Trivia:

If there had been any doubt, it was confirmed in 2015 by former production assistant Carol Golder that the Christmas trees, decorations and even some of the cards on display during the Christmas broadcasts are not the Queen's personal ones but are provided by the production companies, even to the extent of borrowing the party decorations of television and radio personality Terry Wogan!

The photograph at the side of the Queen is of her, then Princess Elizabeth, with Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947.

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