British Royal Weddings are always very popular on television. The first such occasion to be televised – the marriage of Princess Margaret to Antony Armstong-Jones on 6 May 1960 – was no exception. The biggest Royal event since the Coronation was seen by over 20 million people in the UK, while viewers in Australia, Canada and the USA took the total viewing figures to 300 million.
The comprehensive coverage of Princess Margaret’s wedding became the norm with later events. The 大象传媒 used all but one of their outside broadcast units – held back to cover the FA Cup Final. Richard Dimbleby provided commentary from his position high above the nave of Westminster Abbey, cutting to Jean Metcalfe at Clarence House for the first glimpse of the Princess. Anne Edwards was on hand to report on guests' outfits as they arrived. Brian Johnston was with the crowds in Horse Guards, while Wynford Vaughan Thomas was outside Buckingham Palace, to witness the married couple appear on the balcony.
Royal weddings are among the most watched moments in television history. The biggest one was the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, which attracted 28 million viewers in the UK. In recent years, with multiple platforms available, the weddings of Charles and Diana’s children - Princes William and Harry – were seen around the world.
May anniversaries
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Bread
1 May 1986 -
Top of the Form
1 May 1948 -
First VHF transmitter opens at Wrotham
2 May 1955 -
Horizon first transmitted
2 May 1964 -
Luther
4 May 2010 -
The Ascent of Man first broadcast
5 May 1973 -
Wedding of Princess Margaret
6 May 1960 -
VE Day broadcasts
8 May 1945 -
First gardening programme
9 May 1931 -
The Queen鈥檚 Hall destroyed by bombing
10 May 1941 -
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
12 May 1937 -
First episode of Bucknell's House
14 May 1962 -
Broadcasting House opens
15 May 1932 -
Strictly Come Dancing
15 May 2004 -
The Debussy film debuts
18 May 1965 -
Beatrice Harrison, cello and nightingale duet
19 May 1924 -
Churchill's first broadcast as Prime Minister
19 May 1940 -
Thomas Woodrooffe at the Coronation Fleet Review
20 May 1937 -
Opening of Lime Grove Studios
21 May 1950 -
Eurovision first broadcast
24 May 1956 -
That's Life
26 May 1973 -
The Goon Show
28 May 1951 -
The Great War
30 May 1964 -
Tumbledown
31 May 1988