TV schedule today: Channel 5 praised for airing The Emoji Movie during Queen’s funeral

Channel 5 has been praised for being the only UK public service broadcaster not to show any Queen-related coverage on Monday 19 September, the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

While BBC One, BBC Two and ITV all aired the funeral live and Channel 4 showed a documentary on the Queen, Channel 5 chose to air animated children’s film The Emoji Movie.

The choice went down well with some viewers. One tweeted that they “don’t understand the criticism of Channel 5 for showing The Emoji Movie during the queen’s funeral”, adding: “What are kids of families who don’t have paid TV/streaming supposed to do otherwise, sit and watch people in suits look overly sad for six hours?”

“Channel 5 deserve a lot of respect for this,” another posted. “Airing an entire day’s worth of kid and family-friendly content to give us a break from wall-to-wall bleakness is a great move.”

Many UK television channels are dedicating their schedules to coverage of the funeral – meaning TV shows that would usually have aired have either been cancelled or moved.

The Queen’s funeral was held at Westminster Abbey and was followed by a national two-minute silence.

Some 2,000 people attended the service, including leaders from around the world and the Queen’s great grandchildren Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, who walked behind the Queen’s coffin with their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

ITV daytime shows This Morning and Loose Women did not air as usual, and were instead replaced by coverage of the funeral.

BBC Breakfast aired on BBC one until 8am, where it usually is broadcast until 9am on weekdays. The channel will show coverage of the funeral until 5pm, before The One Show: Our Queen Remembered and then a special viewing of Paddington 2.

BBC Two is likewise airing coverage of the service until 5pm, before it broadcasts shows from Richard Osman’s House of Games to Mastermind, Only Connect and University Challenge.

Channel 4 did not broadcast the funeral, and is instead showing a documentary about the Queen’s Coronation in 1953.

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Queen Elizabeth II (via REUTERS)

There will be two extended 90-minute editions of Channel 4 News during the day, and the 1943 Vera Lynn film We’ll Meet Again will also air. Her song of the same name was quoted by Archbishop Justin Welby during the funeral.

Where Channel 5 would have shown Jeremy Vine, Home & Away and Cash in the Attic, these have been removed from the lineup and replaced with films such as The Emoji Movie and Sing.

Follow the latest updates following the death of Queen Elizabeth II here