London (dpa) – The BBC has received 110,000 complaints over its coverage of the death of Prince Philip – the highest number ever published about television programming in Britain.
The broadcaster said on Thursday that people sent the complaints during the past six days since the royal consort’s death on April 9.
The complaints concerned the extensive coverage the prince received on the BBC’s television and radio channels.
As a result, a special web page was set up solely so viewers could file their complaints. It has since been removed.
In response, the BBC said in a statement: «We acknowledge some viewers were unhappy with the level of coverage given and impact this had on the billed TV and Radio schedules.»
«We do not make such changes without careful consideration and the decisions made reflect the role the BBC plays as the national broadcaster, during moments of national significance,» the broadcaster said.
«We are grateful for all feedback, and we always listen to the response from our audiences.»
The BBC also received complaints regarding the inclusion of tributes from Prince Andrew, the prince’s son who stepped down from public duties after details emerged about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The broadcaster said it covered tributes from all of Prince Philip’s children and felt it reported on his comments «appropriately.»
Following the death of Prince Philip, Britain is currently in an eight-day mourning period, which is due to end after his funeral on Saturday.