Location: Buckingham Palace
Produced by: ITN
Theme: Elizabeth II talks on the subject of 'inspiration', whether it comes from the sportsmen and women who performed so well for Britain and Commonwealth countries in the 2016 Olympics, or the 'unsung heroes' , who Her Majesty describes as 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things'. The Queen recalls that she herself drew inspiration from the charity volunteers who attended the 'Patrons' Lunch' to mark her ninetieth birthday earlier in the year. The Queen remarks that 'the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine'. Elizabeth II closes by describing the inspiration that she herself and others draw from being followers of Jesus Christ: 'I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of
doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they
themselves believe.'
Commentary: For the first time in twenty-five years, the Broadcast returned 'home' to the Regency Room of Buckingham Palace. Between 1971 and 1991, this cosy sitting room was its 'default' location; but when production returned to Buckingham Palace in 1998 after a seven-year break the room, which forms part of the Queen's 'semi private' apartments, was neglected in favour of the grander state rooms. Much as earlier producers Richard Cawston and David Attenborough had done during television's 'golden age', ITN are at pains to make the Regency Room look homely and cosy. It does, however, look a considerably different 'set' from the days of the 1970s and 1980s; the layout closely resembles the previous year's production, which had taken place in the 18th Century Room. The photographs of Prince Philip and Prince Charles are referenced in Her Majesty's speech, with regard to their work with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and The Prince's Trust respectively. The Regency Room fireplace, rarely (if ever) seen during the long years of filming here, is well showcased as a centrepiece of the 'set'.
The production is 'bookended' by the Massed Bands of the Foot Guards. God Save The Queen is played at the beginning; in a pleasing flourish, musical director Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Roberts salutes towards the camera as the music ends. At the close of the broadcast, part of A Christmas Intrada by American composer Alfred Reed is played.
The Queen's Christmas message topped the UK Christmas Day television ratings for the third consecutive year, with a combined audience of 7.7 million.
Notes:
When the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community in 1972, Elizabeth II discussed in her end of year message the implications of how Britain could successfully manage membership of both the EEC and the Commonwealth. In 2016, the people of the UK voted to leave what had since become the European Union, but Her Majesty makes no mention of 'Brexit'. It is interesting to note how, over the years, the Queen's Christmas speeches have moved away from political themes and towards placing a stronger emphasis on human goodwill at an essential level, such as the 'unsung heroes' theme of this Broadcast.
The faith and optimism which, year after year, are hallmarks of the Queen's annual message may have been a comfort to her as Christmas 2016 was tinged with sadness for Elizabeth II. In late November her cousin and lifelong friend Margaret Rhodes, a familiar face to viewers of royal documentaries, died aged 91 following a short illness. The Queen attended her funeral in December. Then, on Christmas Eve, news broke that the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall and husband Mike had lost their baby; the couple had only recently announced the pregnancy. Also, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had been forced to delay their departure to Sandringham for their Christmas break due to heavy colds, ultimately arriving a day later than planned by helicopter. The Queen was not sufficiently recovered to attend church on Christmas Day, missing the service for the first time since 1988.
Trivia:
Whenever a clock is present in vision in a production, it is always carefully set to 3 o'clock for the moment the Queen starts speaking, the time the Message is broadcast on Christmas Day.
The photograph at the side of Elizabeth II which shows her with the Prince of Wales had been taken the previous May by society photographer Nick Knight to mark Her Majesty's 90th birthday but had only been released a few days earlier.
The Queen's outfit in this Broadcast caused a small amount of amusement on social media as some likened it to the uniforms of the officers of the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series.
A few days prior to the Broadcast being aired, a study of questionable purpose was published by mathematicians at University College, London. The report claimed that the Queen's annual message was 'one of the most predictable and repetitive television programmes of Christmas', with Her Majesty using only 3,991 'distinct' words (i.e. words used only once) out of a total of 42,000, thus putting her vocabulary on a level with rappers such as Snoop Dog and Jay Z. The findings seem to tell us more about the difficulties of reconciling the timeless and unchanging message of Christmas with the dryness of academia than they do about Queen Elizabeth II.
Full text here
Commentary: For the first time in twenty-five years, the Broadcast returned 'home' to the Regency Room of Buckingham Palace. Between 1971 and 1991, this cosy sitting room was its 'default' location; but when production returned to Buckingham Palace in 1998 after a seven-year break the room, which forms part of the Queen's 'semi private' apartments, was neglected in favour of the grander state rooms. Much as earlier producers Richard Cawston and David Attenborough had done during television's 'golden age', ITN are at pains to make the Regency Room look homely and cosy. It does, however, look a considerably different 'set' from the days of the 1970s and 1980s; the layout closely resembles the previous year's production, which had taken place in the 18th Century Room. The photographs of Prince Philip and Prince Charles are referenced in Her Majesty's speech, with regard to their work with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and The Prince's Trust respectively. The Regency Room fireplace, rarely (if ever) seen during the long years of filming here, is well showcased as a centrepiece of the 'set'.
The production is 'bookended' by the Massed Bands of the Foot Guards. God Save The Queen is played at the beginning; in a pleasing flourish, musical director Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Roberts salutes towards the camera as the music ends. At the close of the broadcast, part of A Christmas Intrada by American composer Alfred Reed is played.
The Queen's Christmas message topped the UK Christmas Day television ratings for the third consecutive year, with a combined audience of 7.7 million.
Notes:
When the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community in 1972, Elizabeth II discussed in her end of year message the implications of how Britain could successfully manage membership of both the EEC and the Commonwealth. In 2016, the people of the UK voted to leave what had since become the European Union, but Her Majesty makes no mention of 'Brexit'. It is interesting to note how, over the years, the Queen's Christmas speeches have moved away from political themes and towards placing a stronger emphasis on human goodwill at an essential level, such as the 'unsung heroes' theme of this Broadcast.
The faith and optimism which, year after year, are hallmarks of the Queen's annual message may have been a comfort to her as Christmas 2016 was tinged with sadness for Elizabeth II. In late November her cousin and lifelong friend Margaret Rhodes, a familiar face to viewers of royal documentaries, died aged 91 following a short illness. The Queen attended her funeral in December. Then, on Christmas Eve, news broke that the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall and husband Mike had lost their baby; the couple had only recently announced the pregnancy. Also, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had been forced to delay their departure to Sandringham for their Christmas break due to heavy colds, ultimately arriving a day later than planned by helicopter. The Queen was not sufficiently recovered to attend church on Christmas Day, missing the service for the first time since 1988.
Trivia:
Whenever a clock is present in vision in a production, it is always carefully set to 3 o'clock for the moment the Queen starts speaking, the time the Message is broadcast on Christmas Day.
The photograph at the side of Elizabeth II which shows her with the Prince of Wales had been taken the previous May by society photographer Nick Knight to mark Her Majesty's 90th birthday but had only been released a few days earlier.
The Queen's outfit in this Broadcast caused a small amount of amusement on social media as some likened it to the uniforms of the officers of the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series.
A few days prior to the Broadcast being aired, a study of questionable purpose was published by mathematicians at University College, London. The report claimed that the Queen's annual message was 'one of the most predictable and repetitive television programmes of Christmas', with Her Majesty using only 3,991 'distinct' words (i.e. words used only once) out of a total of 42,000, thus putting her vocabulary on a level with rappers such as Snoop Dog and Jay Z. The findings seem to tell us more about the difficulties of reconciling the timeless and unchanging message of Christmas with the dryness of academia than they do about Queen Elizabeth II.
Full text here
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