How many people watched the Queen's Coronation

A. Queen Elizabeth 11 was crowned in Westminster Abbey on June 2 1953. At that time, fewer than two million homes had television, and these were mainly grouped around the cities of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. However in the build-up to the big day, 526,000 sets were sold as coronation fever swept the country. Temporary transmitters were put up in areas not yet able to receive programmes, and 3,000 tickets for a large-screen showing at the Festival Hall went in under an hour. Although there were still only 2.5 million sets in Britain (a new set then cost 85), somehow 20 million people managed to watch the occasion.

Q. Was it broadcast to other countries

A. In this country, 56 per cent of the population saw the Coronation, this compared with a radio audience of 12 million. The Coronation was the biggest event in television history to that date. It was also broadcast in France, Holland and Germany, and film recordings were sent all over the world. It is estimated that the worldwide audience was 277 million.

Q. Was it the first televised coronation

A. The 1953 Coronation was such a special event because unlike George VI's coronation in 1937, cameras were actually allowed inside Westminster Abbey for the service itself. Permission to do so was originally refused, but the BBC managed to persuade the royal advisers that the cameras would not be intrusive. The then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was the biggest objector. Eventually, it was the Queen's decision to screen the coronation.

Q. Who was the commentator on the big day

A. The broadcast began just after 10am with Sylvia Peters introducing Berkely Smith, the commentator outside Buckingham Palace, and it ended at 11.30pm when Richard Dimbleby, who was commentating on the ceremony, said goodnight outside the empty Abbey. The day was a tremendous personal success for Richard Dimbleby who established himself as the man for great state occasions. Dimbleby had been a radio correspondent during the war and had made broadcasts from an RAF bomber over Germany, but the coronation was his finest hour.

Q. What did the event mean for television

A. The whole event cost the BBC 44,000, which is peanuts in today's high-spending television society. It changed the nation's view of television. Politicans who had previously scorned TV for radio were suddenly desperate to make appearances, and the sale of sets increased by a further 50 per cent over the next year.

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By Katharine MacColl