Trivia: Significant news stories that were kept off the top spot by another story

[MotCO]

On 5th December 2013, I was on-call at work anticipating major flooding down the east coast of England, and eventually sweeping into Kent. River levels were expected to rise, flooding was expected, and communities could have been cut off. We opened the incident roomin anticipation, and had the rolling tv news on, tracking the storm surge as it came south.

Then Nelson Mandela went and died, and all the news bulletins switched to this news. We therefore had no idea what was happening to the storm surge! Fortunately it was not as bad as expected and all was well.

 

[LOL The Irony]

The death of WRC driver Richard Burns from a brain tumor was overshadowed by George Best dying.

 

[AY1975]

I was only 7 in 1982 so I don't remember being particularly aware of either of these events (though I may have been vaguely aware of both of them) but I would guess that the visit of Pope John Paul II to Britain was overshadowed by the Falklands war (and I believe that his visit very nearly didn't happen for that reason).

A few weeks later Prince William was born - I do remember that. Not sure how much his birth was overshadowed by the Falklands conflict.

 

[xotGD]

I was only 7 in 1982 so I don't remember being particularly aware of either of these events (though I may have been vaguely aware of both of them) but I would guess that the visit of Pope John Paul II to Britain was overshadowed by the Falklands war (and I believe that his visit very nearly didn't happen for that reason).

A few weeks later Prince William was born - I do remember that. Not sure how much his birth was overshadowed by the Falklands conflict.

The Pope's visit to York was overshadowed by a Class 40 working the Poole - Newcastle. For some people, anyway. (And I missed it! )

 

[SS4]

Excepting COVID-19, the climate emergency should be the top news item every single day. It never is.

Why except Covid-19? The climate emergency is going to make covid look like a sniffle

 

[backontrack]

Why except Covid-19? The climate emergency is going to make covid look like a sniffle

I agree with you, that's what I originally intended on saying. I just expected I'd get hated on if I said it.

 

[Trackman]

The Pope's visit to York was overshadowed by a Class 40 working the Poole - Newcastle. For some people, anyway. (And I missed it! )

The massive class 40 POPEX fest, still talked about to this day.

I don't think the Pope's visit would be a lead story even without the Falklands conflict, maybe on arrival or whatever, but that's about it.

 

[PTR 444]

Maybe not exactly in the spirit of this thread, but I turn on the news this evening expecting it to be all about schools reopening, only for the top story to be Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey!

 

[GusB]

Maybe not exactly in the spirit of this thread, but I turn on the news this evening expecting it to be all about schools reopening, only for the top story to be Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey!

It seems to have been the top story on most of the main TV news outlets. I also wondered what else might be being buried!

 

[brad465]

It seems to have been the top story on most of the main TV news outlets. I also wondered what else might be being buried!

What's going on with the grand old Duke of York would be a good shout. That said I wouldn't be surprised if the Government took advantage of it for hiding some of their own nasties as well.

 

[DerekC]

I took a look at today's government press releases. The only thing I can see is the "Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill" which contains some provisions to keep certain classes of offender in prison longer. Not a bad thing, perhaps, but you would expect somebody to be asking how the already overloaded prison system is going to cope without extra money. Maybe they are and I missed it!

 

[AY1975]

The Wembley Central train crash that happened on the evening of 11th October 1984. Would have been the major news story the following morning were it not for the Brighton hotel bombing in the early hours of the 12th that saw the IRA attempt to assassinate the then Conservative cabinet under Margaret Thatcher.

Likewise, the Nuneaton sleeping car train derailment on 6th June 1975 (in which six people were killed and 38 injured) was in the early hours of the day after the first referendum on EEC membership. I would guess that the referendum result would have overshadowed that accident or vice versa - not sure which way round it was, as I was only two weeks old at the time, but it would have been interesting to see that day's newspapers and radio and TV news.

I would guess that the BBC might have had to interrupt that night's referendum results programme with a newsflash about the derailment.

 

[SteveM70]

I would guess that the BBC might have had to interrupt that night's referendum results programme with a newsflash about the derailment.

Im not sure they would. The whole 24 hour rolling news culture just didn’t exist back then

 

[Ediswan]

Im not sure they would. The whole 24 hour rolling news culture just didn’t exist back then

Not rolling news no, but I have a recollection that occasionaly a hand would appear during a news broadcast and supply some breaking news on a piece of paper.

 

[MotCO]

Not rolling news no, but I have a recollection that occasionaly a hand would appear during a news broadcast and supply some breaking news on a piece of paper.

Or sometimes the phone on their desk would ring.

 

[Ediswan]

Or sometimes the phone on their desk would ring.

I was sure whether I remembered that as reailty or just from comedy sketch shows.

 

[Gloster]

I was sure whether I remembered that as reailty or just from comedy sketch shows.

No, it did happen, although not often. There is a story, possibly apocryphal, of the ‘phone ringing and the newsreader having to search around in a couple of draws to find it, as a cleaner had put the ‘phone out of the way.

 

[MotCO]

No, it did happen, although not often. There is a story, possibly apocryphal, of the ‘phone ringing and the newsreader having to search around in a couple of draws to find it, as a cleaner had put the ‘phone out of the way.

Was that on "It'll be alright on the Night?"

 

[MP33]

In the Nuneaton accident was one of the passengers on the train a junior minister?

 

[Gloster]

Was that on "It'll be alright on the Night?"

Possibly, but not having a TV I read it in a book somewhere.

In the Nuneaton accident was one of the passengers on the train a junior minister?

According to Wikipedia, it was Fred Peart, the Minister of Agriculture. I am not sure if Bob Reid (I), the future BR Chairman, was also on the train.

 

[John Griffiths]

Death of the Ayatollah Khomeini (3 June 1989) was rather overshadowed by the military assault on Tiananmen Square that began that night.

 

[Journeyman]

Winning the 2012 Olympic bid would probably have dominated the news for a lot longer than it did if the 7/7 attacks hadn't occurred the following morning.

 

[AndyPJG]

I was sure whether I remembered that as reailty or just from comedy sketch shows.

I can remember during a BBC news flash after JF Kennedy had been shot, the telephone on the newscaster's desk rang with the update that he had died.

 

[Hardcastle]

I remember the phone ringing on the news desk it was real its difficult to believe these days.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I remember the phone ringing on the news desk it was real its difficult to believe these days.

If such a phone rang nowadays, it would probably be an automated message advising the newscaster that their Amazon Prime account was being auto-renewed at a cost of £79.99, unless they were to press 'one' now.

 

[GusB]

While we didn't have the 24/7 rolling news coverage that we do now, I can recall a few times when regular viewing was interrupted by a news flash. While I was quite young and can't remember exactly which, one of the "embassy incidents" in the 1980s springs to mind. It may well have been both, but I certainly remember the coverage of the shooting of PC Yvonne Fletcher.

 

[Ianno87]

While we didn't have the 24/7 rolling news coverage that we do now, I can recall a few times when regular viewing was interrupted by a news flash. While I was quite young and can't remember exactly which, one of the "embassy incidents" in the 1980s springs to mind. It may well have been both, but I certainly remember the coverage of the shooting of PC Yvonne Fletcher.

When I was little, you knew something was a big news story when children's TV wasn't shown in the afternoon.