The marriage of Charles and Diana, (later the Prince and Princess of Wales), took place on 29 July 1981, marking a highpoint in the popularity of the Royal Family. It was seen by a global television audience of 750 million in 74 countries. In Britain, where a public holiday had been declared, 28.4 million watched on BBC and ITV - the majority on the BBC - while 600,000 lined the streets of London.
The BBC pulled out all the stops to ensure the widest possible audience on the day. Television coverage of the 11am ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral began at 7.45am, presented by Angela Rippon and Peter Woods. Commentary on the carriage processions and marriage service was given by Tom Fleming. Simultaneous coverage on BBC Two provided live subtitles for hearing impaired viewers, the first big outing for the Palantype system. Radio coverage was also extensive, with commentators as varied as Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and Rolf Harris along the processional route, and Terry Wogan on Radio 2, capturing the mood on the streets.
The Royal Wedding remains one of the most watched programmes, and the BBC the broadcaster most trusted for such events. In 2011 the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (later the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) again proved very popular, and the BBC's coverage attracted 70% of the audience.
July anniversaries
- Investiture of the Prince of Wales 1 July 1969
- Masterchef2 July 1990
- BBC Television News and Newsreel5 July 1954
- To the Ends of the Earth6 July 2005
- Hancock's Half Hour television show6 July 1956
- London Calling Europe began 6 July 1941
- The Old Man of Hoy 8 July 1967
- The first episode of The Office 9 July 2001
- Andy Pandy 11 July 1950
- It's That Man Again12 July 1939
- Watchdog 14 July 1985
- What's My Line 16 July 1951
- Toytown first transmitted 19 July 1929
- Pot Black first transmitted 23 July 1969
- Countryfile first broadcast24 July 1988
- Start of the Light Programme 29 July 1945
- Olympic Games from Wembley first televised 29 July 1948
- The World Cup Final 30 July 1966
- Dad's Army 31 July 1968