h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5118690.stm

"The BBC has apologised for a second fake news story in a week, after saying a major incident had occurred during a live TV show from Buckingham Palace. Newsreader Huw Edwards opened the Party at the Palace broadcast - watched by seven million - with a newsflash.

It announced the pretend loss of the Queen's handbag as part of the show, but 78 people complained.

However, it became clear it was not a real bulletin when colleague Sophie Raworth started to interview comedian Ronnie Corbett - dressed as pantomime character Buttons - about the handbag.

Many of the complaints described the report as being "in poor taste", while one viewer said: "It was the most foolish gag I have ever heard."

Another told the BBC: "We had a daughter caught up in the London bombings and a granddaughter at the palace, and I was terrified when I saw this."

Have some people got no sense of humour or proportion?

You can guarantee they are people who 'worship' the Queen and obviously know that she 'would be upset' at this sort of joke.

Now, I am no royalist but I do know the Queen has a good sense of humour and I would doubt she would have thought it funny.

And people 'jumping' to the wrong conclusion about the 'major incident' the world cannot adjust everything that is said to make sure it does not upset *anyone*. And 'major incident' in this day and age of media hype can be anything totally mundane.

Watching it on teevee. I thought the whole thing was a debacle. The only moments of light relief, apart from Harry Hill walking on stage ironically singing 'I predict a riot' before getting his bit over and done with as soon as possible was the quick shots of the queen and hubby watching the show from the royal box. Did a smile ever crack across her lips, it most certainly did not. On every opportunity the camera revealed a sour pussed unsmiling royal face. On one view she was even actually examining the royal fingernails with complete disinterest. This, of course, was at total odds with Prince Philip who was sat next to her with a smile of childish 'bl**dy fools!' glee slapped across his coupon throughout. Not suprisingly these snippets of her madge quickly petered out after a few minutes into the show when the cameraman fast realised he was on a loser. She appeared again at the finale giving a half hearted speech about childrens literature before buggering orf stage as quick as the royal legs would carry her. Her sole motive apperaed to be to get the whole thing over and done with and clear the rabble from orf her lawn. When you consider that the whole bash was organised for, and supposedly in celebration of, her birthday, you would of thought that a brief smile or even false indication of enjoyment, or anything other than complete pained disinterest, would of been in her remit. Ungrateful old woman.

We had the telly on in the background while we were doing stuff around the house. They said they were going to go to the party at the palace but as soon as it started, Johnathan Ross said something like 'We were going to the party but there has been a major incident a buckingham palace so we're going over to Huw Edwards with a newsflash'. We couldn't see the screen so didn't know it was a joke. I rushed into the kitchen because from the sound alone it sounded as though something genuinely bad had happened. When La Rayworth started chatting with Ronnie Corbett it was obvious it was a joke, but I was worried for a minute there. I just grumbled and went back to what I was doing.

What actually drives people to be bothered to complain?

From the few seconds I saw something genuinely bad *was* happening. Looked a pretty awful(i.e. normal) Royal Show for the 'plebs' broadcast.

I missed all the fuss, I was watching the on t'other side.

In fairness to the Queen,
I watched whole programme, yes she wasn't in shrieks of laughter through the whole show, but at the end she played along with the handbag joke and laughed as she got her glasses from her bag. I would say she had a wry smile at times, not sat stoney faced. I would say the show was clearly for the kids in audience, who I suspect were picked as thought of as in need somehow.
...actually, I quite enjoyed the show.

I take post 2 is an attempt at humour, a joke at the writer's own expense, yes?
If you thought it was a debacle why did you sit there like a zombie staring at the screen throughout? And why, if you found it so tedious, is the Queen ungrateful for not enjoying it?

>> When you consider that the whole bash was organised for, and supposedly in celebration of, her birthday, you would of thought that a brief smile or even false indication of enjoyment, or anything other than complete pained disinterest, would of been in her remit. Ungrateful old woman. <<

Yes, but did anyone ask her if it was what she really wanted?

RF

(Running off to the pedants' thread with "would of")

I thought us esturine-speakers had won the would of/would have grammar battle...

Oh, and another thing. This party is, to her, work. It's what she does. She's still working at 80. Now I know Gordon's ultimate plan is for us all to be doing the same, but frankly, she's doing it *now*, so WHY DON'T YOU LAY OFF HER?

Some people seem to think it's great fun to point and laugh and make fun of The Royal Family, as if they're not people. Why do they do that?

RF

The money we pay her she SHOULD have to sit through stuff like that.

>> The money we pay her she SHOULD have to sit through stuff like that. <<

Really? How much money do you pay her?

RF

RF

Just because

>> What actually drives people to be bothered to complain? <<

Hope. The hope that one day soon some sense of decorum and good judgement will return to our society. It is especially important that the mass media refrain juvenile humour and indulging in bad taste.
Our tolerance of tnose who disrespect our cultural values must soon be rectified or we will spiral into chaos and anarchy just as our enemies have predicted.

~jwf~

i thoroughly enjoyed sunday evening.

yes, she looked bored to tears and spent time grooming her nails, but it might not have really been her thing to watch.
i would have liked to see more of her reactions, but i reckon as already been said, the beeb decided not to show it.
but i loved it. i only wished i had taped it to see again.

i like things like that though, when actors/singers/musicians from all over get together and perform as if they have been with each other for years and years..(e.g. live aid etc)
the so called animosity between the soaps is long put aside and all seem to get on well. luke tittenor and sam aston worked well together.
in fact the actors picked for the characters were well chosen.

certain parts of it must have taken a long time to rehearse especially the sword fight with peter pan and captain hook.

and to see the characters take over the palace was amazing.

there are times when i wished i could get to such events and be part of the crowd, but what was done on sunday was better seen on tv, with all of the other bits intertwined.

my only criticism as such would be that the audience were singing faster than the band were playing when they did happy birthday.
but you cant have everything right

Yes, she prefers Eastenders...with the revelation that she keeps her breakfast cereals in tupperware we really have got a chav as Queen. And WE are supposed to look up to her!

<>

Firstly, as far as I am aware, I did not sit there like a zombie. Zombies are fictional undead people that probably spend there time lurching about the place and terrorising virgins, not sitting down to watch an afternoons television. Secondly, I sat through it mainly because I was not the only person in the room actually watching the television at the time. Is that a novel enough concept? Watching the television as part of a social group rather than alone with a teevee dinner, sole control of the remote, and a cat. Suprisingly, although a group we were also not actually all of the same mind. Sure I found it tedious, but I certainly enjoyed watching my young kids, who were enjoying parts of it, watch it.

<>

Because it was organised for and given to her and not to me. I am entitled to an independant opinion on proceedings wereas in this instance she isn't really, not in public anyway. Privately she can think what she likes, but a lot of people went to a lot of trouble and expense to organise the event/travel to the event/broadcast the event and all in 'honour' of her birthday so, although she doesnt *have* to enjoy it, for nothing else other than out of politeness sake she could of at least made a pretence of enjoying it. Or when you are given a present that you don't actually want do you just sneer at it rather than smiling gratefully and saying 'thankyou'? Regardless, I would of thought that some good PR would of been motivation enough for her to try and enjoy proceedings if nothing else.

Uh huh, 'like a zombie' is a similie.

The event wasn't really in her honour was it? It was for the benefit of the kids.
And I don't expect anyone to sit around with a rictous smile for the benefit of voyeurs and people that think paying taxes entitles them to view people as their slave. I doubt she sneered at anyone in person at the event.

Fake newsflashes are piss poor attempt at humour IMO. Morecambe and Wise did it well though.

This is true.