On his 75th birthday Churchill had said, “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter”.
Over three -quarters of the British population followed the State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill on BBC television and radio, while throughout the world many millions of radio sets were tuned to the BBC’s External Services.
The BBC programme was widely rebroadcast and televised in many countries, with relays to the United States and Canada, including live scenes when the satellite path became directly available. Inside St Paul’s cameras were linked to a BBC control room set up in the crypt. Monitor sets gave the congregation full coverage of the occasion.
Three hundred producers, cameramen, engineers and technicians took part in the broadcast.