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UK presenters deny queue-jumping

ITV hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were given accredited media passes to attend Westminster Hall on Friday.

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ITV hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have been the subject of UK media articles in which they were accused of queue-jumping when they visited Westminster Hall on Friday to see the Queen’s coffin.

This Morning released a statement defending the pair:

“Hello everyone, we would like to clarify something.

“We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme.

“They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event.”

An ITV spokesperson further told MailOnline: “This Morning had press accreditation and like other media, Phillip and Holly were escorted to work from the press gallery by government staff.

“They did not file past The Queen’s coffin. They were there alongside a host of other broadcasters and national press outlets for an item that will be broadcast on Tuesday’s show. Any allegations of improper behaviour are categorically untrue.”

Other famous figures, including David Beckham, Sharon Osbourne, Tilda Swinton and journalist Peter Hitchens (brother of Christopher) all queued up.

A Current Affair presenter Tracy Grimshaw was also given an 11pm media viewing, tearfully telling viewers how guilty she felt given the queues by the masses.

“We scouted this position yesterday and it was taking them four hours to get here. Now it’s taking them eight hours to get here and they’ve got about another six hours to go. They’re marching pretty much all of the way, they stop every so often, I think probably because of the changing of the guard at the other end, which slows everything down. I was planning to do this queue in this walk, so I can share with you what it was like in there. But literally, we don’t have 14 hours to spare while we’re working. And then yesterday, I found out in one of the many privileges of this job that I’d scored one of the few media appointments to go in. And it was pretty special.”

She added, “I didn’t know what I was expecting. I spent half an hour in there. These people that have queued, I feel so guilty, these people have queued for about eight-and-a-half hours and they get about 10 minutes in there unless they’re lucky enough to get the Changing of the Guard and they they get an extra four minutes and they are the lucky ones,” she said.

“And as they walk past they only have a moment to stop. And they dip their heads and some of the women curtsey, some of them cross themselves. That’s what they have.

“We had half-an-hour to watch. I’m watching people on walkers, people with crutches, people in wheelchairs, people pushing their babies in prams. Four soldiers in khakis all stopped and saluted her.”

BBC notes accredited journalists and photographers are thenallowed to take photographs and gather reporting material from specific positions in the hall for a set time period, under the guidance from the media centre.

During that time slot, they are escorted to the reporting position, which is on a raised platform on a scaffold at the back of the hall.

In order to get to that area, they stay on the edges of the hall and move quickly round the side of members of the public who are filing past the coffin.

In contrast, members of the public walk along a carpeted area on either side of the coffin and are given time to pause and pay their respects.

10 Responses

  2. I admit I have been annoyed with this since I saw morning tv people, what seemed to me, bragging on social media about having access and being special. I found it disrespectful. Then I saw Tracey and how humble she was and feeling guilty about the long queues. She was wonderful, made me cry with her and at least she explained the feeling and atmosphere seeing the coffin. Right or wrong, just the way I see it.

  3. The issue is there is a massive despise for Phillip (and to a lesser extent Holly) in the UK, for numerous reasons that if you go on Twitter or Google you can find out why.
    But in this instance the public have it wrong, maybe if they had explained prior why they were going in without being in the queue it may have assisted but the damage was done…

    1. There is definitely a component online, particularly on the right, who don’t like Phillip after his ‘coming out’ business a few years back. But to say it’s massive is over-egging it. He’s hosted This Morning for more than 20 years, it’s continually one of the top rated daytime shows in the UK and wins public voted awards every year. You don’t achieve those things by being “massively despised”.

  4. I would have no issue if the press came in without waiting..it is their job afterall..they walk a different route so arent really taking up the spots allocated to the public. Looks reasonable to me….i think it was great for tracy to acknowledge it.

  5. This to me is calling out too but just in a different form. Preferential treatment what next, they are all doing TV shows for various countries. Billy Connelly hit the nail on the head with “loosing the will to live” that applies to this nonsense.

  6. Kochie and Nat did the exact same thing but I didn’t see any keyboard warriors attack them over it. Clearly a minority of the British public have a strong distaste for Phillip and Holly but, as with everything else that has happened recently, this’ll probably be swept under the rug pretty soon.

    1. The difference is Kochie and Nat and Tracey as well are part of the media tirelessly covering the events. Holly and Phil are only presenting their own show, which was off air from Friday to Monday due to the actual journalists at ITV News covering events.

  7. This is really bringing the worst out in people, if they’d lined up like Bekham etc they’d probably get called out for grandstanding like he did because he didn’t use his express pass. This pair have been front and centre of the networks morning news every day since the death of ER2, they were on the job…
    A great over reaction from some…

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