“If #ThisMorning keeps on gaslighting the nation at this rate, they’ll need to enter a phone competition to pay their energy bills.” – Ian Hyland
On This Morning earlier today ITV daytime stars, and apparent journalists, Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, attempted to explain away their ‘queue jumping’ at the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II last week. The presenting duo, best known for starting their careers – not in Fleetstreet but on children’s television (no not Newsround either) – were seen, both videoed and photographed ‘jumping’ a long line of the general public to enter Westminster Hall where The Queen’s coffin was resting for the public to view before her funeral yesterday.
The pair ignited a social media backlash after they were pictured inside Westminster Hall, where no reporting or extra footage was allowed to take place, having seemingly not lined in wait for up to 13 hours as members of the public and others such as footballer David Beckham and GMB journalist and host Susannah Reid had done. A statement from ITV claiming the presenters were ‘working’ made matters worse.
One, Mia Froggart, took a photo of the pair being led ahead of her, and her family, and noted: “This is a photo taken by my sisters husband yesterday, after he had queued with my sister, their 10 y/o daughter and my disabled mum, for 13+ hrs, my mum was ushered out of @hollywills and @Schofe way so they could #queuejumpers w/o even a thanks.”
News at Ten host Huw Edwards even threw some shade at the pair during a broadcast over the weekend where he noted ‘‘There have been quite a few familiar faces in the queue for that lying in state at Westminster Hall. We did of course see a certain David Beckham there on Friday. He was widely praised for queueing for hours and hours, not jumping the queue because he’s a superstar VIP.’
Memes, jokes and fury have filled social media since the ‘queue gate’ came to light, and despite an explanation on today’s edition of This Morning it doesn’t appear to have calmed the situation with a petition to axe the ‘privileged’ and ‘egotistical’ pair at over 17,000 signatures*. A Metro newspaper poll, launched after Philip and Holly’s explanation, noted 68% didn’t believe the pair.
Speaking on today’s show Willoughby said:
‘The rules were that we would be quickly escorted around the edges to a platform at the back. In contrast, those paying their respects walked along a carpeted area beside the coffin and were given time to pause. None of the journalists and broadcasters there took anyone’s place in the queue and no one filed past the Queen. We, of course, respected those rules, however, we realise that it may have looked like something else and therefore totally understand the reaction. Please know that we would never jump a queue.’
This explanation hasn’t, it seems for viewers, explained a thing. Metro report comments including ‘Holly and Phil really thought they could get away with that half-hearted explanation, no apology, claims they’re journalists, saying they had a right to broadcast it (when it was on every channel),’
Another noted ‘Sorry, but what you’re saying makes no sense. No other journalists walked down the VIP line, what were you there to record? If it was the queue then that was outside, if it was the inside then that’s being done 24/7. So where is the footage?’
And the tweets continued, some highlights are below:
*At the time of publication on 20th September.
