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U.K. Broadcaster Prompts Uproar for Airing The Emoji Movie During Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral

Channel 5 was the only of the major U.K. public service broadcasters to forgo royal coverage Monday.
  • Queen Elizabeth II, The Emoji Movie. (Photos: Everett Collection)
    Queen Elizabeth II, The Emoji Movie. (Photos: Everett Collection)

    While the world mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth II Monday, the U.K.'s Channel 5 caught flack for airing The Emoji Movie in place of funeral coverage.

    ITV, BBC One, and BBC Two showed the funeral live while Channel 4 broadcast a documentary about the late Queen. Channel 5, however, had other plans. The network aired The Emoji Movie, the 2017 animated film with a 6% Rotten Tomatoes score.

    Twitter users took to their accounts to express their shock, horror, and amusement with this move, calling out the broadcaster for the bizarre choice. "Big day for Channel 5," one user wrote, while another called the incident "the funniest bit of our generation". 

     

    While other channels continue to broadcast coverage of Queen Elizabeth's funeral today, Channel 5 is set to air children's programming like Stuart Little Ice Age 3, and Sing! following The Emoji Movie's conclusion.

    Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

    TOPICS: Queen Elizabeth II