BBC obituary editor calls 20th anniversary Princess Diana coverage 'mawkish drivel'
He said he was 'bored' of extensive media coverage of her death
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The obituary editor for the BBC has reportedly said he is “bored” of extensive media coverage of Princess Diana’s death and branded it “mawkish drivel”.
Nick Serpell, who has worked at the BBC since 1995, said he hoped the 20th anniversary of her death on 31 August 1997 would be the last time the public was subject to wide-ranging coverage of Diana Spencer.
In a since-deleted private Facebook post seen by the Mail, he said: “Hopefully today will the last on which we have to suffer mawkish media Diana drivel.”
Mr Serpell, who is responsible for providing obituaries of high-profile individuals across TV, radio and online, admitted he was “bored” of media attention in response to a question by BBC presenter Simon McCoy.
Mr McCoy tweeted: “Broadcasting BBC News Channel live from Kensington Palace tomorrow. 20 years since death of Diana - seems like yesterday. Your thoughts?”
In a since deleted tweet Mr Serpell hit back, saying: “Bored”.
He also retweeted a post by Times columnist Iain Martin saying: "Incredible drivel on BBC Newsnight about Diana. It is simply not the case everyone capitulated to the madness that week. Millions of us didn't."
“People have all sorts of opinions. It was a private post, though I do appreciate that social media can sometimes be a very public place,” Mr Serpell has now told the publication.
People have laid tributes to Princess Diana, who died when she was just 36 years old, outside Kensington Palace on Thursday ahead of a remembrance service.
Princess Diana was killed along with her lover Dodi al-Fayed when a limousine carrying them crashed in a Paris tunnel as it drove away from paparazzi.
Mr Serpell and the BBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments