BBC news are planning for bruce forsyth to die

pwuz · 13/11/13 - 23:26

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

technologist · 13/11/13 - 23:31

There is a whole unit in BBC news ( or any news operation in print or more modern technology )
who prepare and update obits ...
How else do you think you can do one quickly .,, !

The BBC probably has a few hundred set up....

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/20273439

Default_User · 13/11/13 - 23:35

He would likely feel snubbed not to have one.

RadioKnower · 13/11/13 - 23:35

pwuz wrote: »

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

As stated any respectable news organisation will do this for most older public figures and maybe even people like the Prime Minister.

The sweeptake, won't be something that is an official BBC practice and just something private individuals who happen to work for the Beeb are partaking in. It's not a new concept, not something I'm keen on personally but it's more a form of dark humour really.

This is non-story and no further replies are needed.

Default_User · 13/11/13 - 23:41

Yes, sir

Sven945 · 13/11/13 - 23:53

You mean they didn't make the hours and hours of Thatcher footage in the five minutes after she died?

Also (less sarcastically), Humphrey Lyttleton's obituary in the Guardian was written by George Melly, who died a year earlier.

Steve9214 · 13/11/13 - 23:56

pwuz wrote: »

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

Did you not watch "Drop The Dead Donkey"
Henry Davenport (the elderly newsreader) got Kylie Minogue in the Obit sweepstake.. "But she's twelve isn't she !!!"

Tassium · 14/11/13 - 00:20

Assuming the sweepstake thing is even true it's nothing to do with "the BBC". I don't think it's true by the way.

And I guarantee every famous person of a certain age has an obit for TV news and in the print media already prepared.

degsyhufc · 14/11/13 - 00:20

Steve9214 wrote: »

Did you not watch "Drop The Dead Donkey"
Henry Davenport (the elderly newsreader) got Kylie Minogue in the Obit sweepstake.. "But she's twelve isn't she !!!"

There's a current thread in the TV forum about DTDD and the obit episode is one I thought of instantly.

James2001 · 14/11/13 - 00:51

Tassium wrote: »

And I guarantee every famous person of a certain age has an obit for TV news and in the print media already prepared.

I imagine in plenty of cases, they don't even have to be of a certain age, plenty of top politicians for example will have them ready and waiting no matter how old they are! Robin Cook's was running within minutes of his death being announced.

ftv · 14/11/13 - 01:33

They also have a programme ready when the Queen dies, they would be incompetent if they didn't. Newspapers have obituaries ready for all major public figures - it was reported that The Times actually allowed Churchill to read his own obit and amend it accordngly.

JAS84 · 14/11/13 - 01:49

James2001 wrote: »

I imagine in plenty of cases, they don't even have to be of a certain age, plenty of top politicians for example will have them ready and waiting no matter how old they are! Robin Cook's was running within minutes of his death being announced.

Yeah, it doesn't matter how young they are, major politicians do need an obit ready. What if someone, God forbid, gets assassinated?

PrinceOfDenmark · 14/11/13 - 02:11

pwuz wrote: »

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

Crap trolling

Sam Walker · 14/11/13 - 02:15

Preparing for deaths is nothing new. The BBC spent about 10 years rehearsing the Queen Mother's death. These things don't come to people off the top of their heads you know.

burbe · 14/11/13 - 03:09

Sam Walker wrote: »

Preparing for deaths is nothing new. The BBC spent about 10 years rehearsing the Queen Mother's death. These things don't come to people off the top of their heads you know.

That Newsflash programme on itv had a large chunk about Queen Mother's death and that was stated. The final rehearsal they had before she died was actually the weekend before!

bluesdiamond · 14/11/13 - 03:11

anyone recall this?
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's death was erroneously announced in the Australian media in 1993 after a London-based Sky News employee saw an internal rehearsal for her future death (one of many conducted by the UK media over the years). Thinking it was for real, he phoned his mother in Australia with the 'news', who passed it on to the media. The time zone difference may have made it difficult for the Australian media to check the story during UK night-time. The employee was dismissed for the mistake, but then won a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal. (Fragments of the Queen Mother's life history also appeared in several other world figures' premature obituaries in the CNN.com incident.) The Queen Mother died on 30 March 2002.

realwales · 14/11/13 - 05:52

Sven945 wrote: »

You mean they didn't make the hours and hours of Thatcher footage in the five minutes after she died?

Also (less sarcastically), Humphrey Lyttleton's obituary in the Guardian was written by George Melly, who died a year earlier.

There are numerous examples of obituary writers dying before their subject does. The obituaries of all sorts of people are 'in the can' waiting to be used.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if some BBC journalists are taking bets on Brucie dying. They're probably the same ones who were saying snide, cruel things about Margaret Thatcher when she died.

Molly Bloom · 14/11/13 - 07:57

Sounds like standard practice to me, as many others in this thread have said.

popeye13 · 14/11/13 - 08:07

pwuz wrote: »

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

LOL You think it appalling to plan for deaths?! What do you think life insurance is?....Human monopoly!?!

BBC, ITN (for ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5), Sky, Associated Press, Reuters ect have all got obituary reports ready for VIP's & public figures and readily update them too
BBC News 3 weeks back recorded 7 fresh interviews with the likes of David Cameron, Tony Blair & John Major in preparation for the Queen dying!
ITN updates all of their's for the Queen in the last 8 weeks also.
During Price Philip's health issues, ALL of them were scrambling to get fresh interviews for obituary pieces in the event he died and the fact he is of age, is likely soon enough.
So Bruce Forsyth is nothing special for this kind of thing!

As for the sweepstake... I have a feeling that was more tongue-in-cheek, and you bought it hook, line & sinker!

mossy2103 · 14/11/13 - 12:04

RadioKnower wrote: »

The sweeptake, won't be something that is an official BBC practice and just something private individuals who happen to work for the Beeb are partaking in. It's not a new concept, not something I'm keen on personally but it's more a form of dark humour realld.

A bit like this rather infamous site:

http://www.deathlist.net/

James_Monnelly · 14/11/13 - 13:31

bluesdiamond wrote: »

anyone recall this?
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's death was erroneously announced in the Australian media in 1993 after a London-based Sky News employee saw an internal rehearsal for her future death (one of many conducted by the UK media over the years). Thinking it was for real, he phoned his mother in Australia with the 'news', who passed it on to the media. The time zone difference may have made it difficult for the Australian media to check the story during UK night-time. The employee was dismissed for the mistake, but then won a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal. (Fragments of the Queen Mother's life history also appeared in several other world figures' premature obituaries in the CNN.com incident.) The Queen Mother died on 30 March 2002.

The issue of Viz issued before she died was full of references to the Queen mother dying, spooky!

James_Monnelly · 14/11/13 - 13:34

This was a "Dead Pool" my friend did in 2003:

Thatcher
Boris Yeltsin
Ronnie Biggs*
Patrick Moore
Alex Higgins
Alan Wicker
Keith Richards
Iggy Pop
Mini Me
Ian Brady
Barbara Windsor
John Hurt
Fidel Castro
Robert Mugabe
Ernie Wise
Burt Bacharach
Dick Francis
Kirk Douglas
Peter Alliss
Peter O'Sullivan
Murray Walker
Roger Moore
Eddie Large
Frank Carson
Burt Reynolds
Micky Barrymore
Micky J Fox
Mohammed Ali
Shane Magowan
Jack Nicholson
Phil The Greek
Stephen Hawkins
Liza Minelli
Clive Dunn
Ken Russell
Ken Dodd
Lional Blair
Desmond Tutu
Michael Foot
Anna Wing
Jimmy Tarbuck
Pete Docherty
Jimmy Saville
Bruce Forsyth
Ronnie Corbett
Norman Wisdom

As you can see quite a few have gone upstairs

soulboy77 · 14/11/13 - 14:00

After seeing the recent documentary on Bruce, he a shuffling old man at home on lots of medication. Not the sharp, sparkling entertainer we se on SCD. But at the age that he is should we not expect some degree of decline?

yorksdave · 14/11/13 - 14:28

I would be more shocked if the BBC already knew the date of Brucies death:D

Ginger Daddy · 14/11/13 - 14:29

pwuz wrote: »

Yesterday at a reunion I got talking to an old friend that works at BBC news. She was talking about what she had been upto recently and from this conversation I know for a fact that the BBC have a tape ready to launch within minutes of brucie dying and they have a sweepstake with themselves as to the date.

I'm so appalled at their behavior and planning for bruce to die and to make cash out of it!

Please explain how the BBC will be making cash out of a death. Thanks in advance.

i4u · 14/11/13 - 14:41

Well Sky actually 'killed off' a member the Royal family....

It was last Thursday night that Mr Hanson, 26, made the telephone call to his mother in Australia that lost him his job as a videotape editor after more than three years with Sky. He had seen a presenter announcing that the Queen Mother was dead, and he thought his mother - an ardent royalist - should know the news. She passed the information on to a local radio station; within minutes the news was broadcast by television stations across Australia. But Mr Hanson had been watching a dummy run.

I'm shocked the starter of this thread has such friends, and how did the matter arise?

Hey there!

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BBC news are planning for bruce forsyth to die

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