Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal wedding radio review

What did I get from the radio that wasn't on television? Radio 5 Live (from 6.00 a.m.) had a Cornish grower of lilies of the valley who wanted to know where all the stems he'd delivered to the Goring Hotel had gone.
Bookmaker Paddy Power, personally, gave odds of 500 to 1 on a streaker interrupting the wedding procession. Shelagh Fogarty (at the Abbey) thought the bride would wear her hair up, Nicky Campbell (outside Buckingham Palace) hoped she wouldn't.
Chris Evans (Radio 2, 8.00 a.m) had a street party “a sniff away” from the Palace. It didn't stop him roaring “How good is that?” at frequent intervals and playing truly tacky wedding-type records throughout.

On Radio 4's Today, cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said he wasn't scared at being on Radio 4's commentary team because “It's just saying what we see, which is what we do at Lords.” Actually, it's a bit harder.
That all-star Radio 4 team, (on duty from 10.00 a.m.) proved that women - Wendy Austin, Anita Anand, Eleanor Oldroyd and Jane Garvey - are miles better than men at talking to people and noticing weddingy things like colours, hats and fabrics
The big disappointment was Edward Stourton, sole commentator inside Westminster Abbey. Whether he was overwhelmed by the occasion or assumed we were looking at it on television, he seemed lost for the words.
So I turned on the TV but listened to the radio, (hard to do as radio was a few seconds ahead of the pictures.) I'm glad I did. Ed didn't mention the little wiggle Prince William gave the ring as he put it on his bride's finger, or the Queen's sudden look down as if surprised by tears at the Bishop of London's address.
And no one at all mentioned the lilies of the valley in the bride's brother's buttonhole"And no one had words words to match the pictures that said how happy, how really and truly happy, our new Duke and Duchess looked."

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