CORONATION HOAX

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 128, 16 June 1937, Page 9

CORONATION HOAX

(Own Correspondent-

Young Man Impersonates B.B.C. Annouricer 'AMAZING COINCIDENCES,

-By -Air Mail.)

LONDON, May 19. Twenty-threc-year-old Tom Danny Webb, in town with his Irish girl cousin for the Coronation, brought off the biggest hoax in radio history by impersonating on. Tliursday night a B.B.C. commentator and giving a' broadcast of the crowd scenes outside Buckingham Palace. He vras able to do ttT the B.B.C. stated officially by "a series of amazing coincidences." Between conferences at Broadcasting House, at which it was sought to esfcablish how the hoax became possible, they affirmed, "It will be impossible for it ever to happen again.'' Tom, perched 50 feet up on a stand in ui Green Park, was "on the air" for tliree minutes in the Regional programme late news bulletin. The B.B.C. said : ' 'It was noticed that the broadoast was not up to the usual standard, and that there was apparently something wrong with the annotincer's voice. He was faded out before :the allotted time." Tom said: "My cousin, Nan Gillick, t»i Wexford, and I arriv.\d at Buckingham Palace at about 8.'30 p.m. As thL crowds were so dense we climbed t'1 tlie lop of Stand 31 at the edge of Green Park. There were several glass cubicles there, and we made ourselves ■ comfortable inside one which had a microphone. We had been there about 10 minutes when a man put his head inside and asked me, 'Are you from the B.B.C.?5. "I didn't want to be turned out, so I said I was, and h© replied, "That's all right. I5m from Scotland Yard.5 "Then anotlier man came nlong and said, 'Are you Mr H— — ?5 A'gain 1 said'l was, and he said, 'I suppose you know you are doing the outside Buckingham Palace broadcast in tbe 10 o'clock newsp' Telephone Conversations. "I thpught fast and decided it would be a graud joke to carry on as a B.B.C. man. I entered into the spirit oi the thing, and soon found myself talking on the telephone to Broadcasting House to a man who gave me my instructions. "Every moment I was expecting the real compientator to arrive. The man with me — he had to deal with the 'effects' and crowd noisos- -showod no suspTcion, so I played up. \ "Meanwhile by young, cousin became frjglyfcened and said she wanted to go home. The Scotland Yard mnn courteously escorted her to Green Park station. I was constantly in touch with Broadcasting House. They told me I should go on the air at 10.15. Once a man, whose name I couldn't catch, said, 'Look here, old.boy, would you be terribly insulted if I came down and did the broadcast?' "I replied, 'Would you he terribly insulted if I did the broadcast?' He said, 'No, not terribly... but, dash is all. old fnan, I'd like to do it.' Importance Emphasised. "I paused, then said, 'Well, 1 shan't be insulted if you do it, but Wfi have only one Coronatioi. in a lifetime, and — dash it all— I've been hanging about 'here for some time, and I really don't think there 's ariy need for you to come down. ' "I heard a non-committal sort of grunt, and he rang off. Twice more before the broadcast I spoke to Broadcasting House. I was told to go all out, and make it as big as possible; i J the King and Queen came out I was to say so, and I should be given an extension of time. "It was added: 'Remember, even if it means being late with the nows and extending the whole bally programme, we must have it.' "By 10 o'clock I was highly excited, still half -expecting the real commentator to come along. Through headphones I was listening to the programmev Beads of perspiration rolled down my face. "I heard the announcer say, 'And here we are, 20 minutes aftej leaving Broadcasting House, outside Buckingham Palace.' A red light in front of me flashed on. I began to speak. A Great Tbrill and Laugh. "I could see the crowds below, staring up at me. I was half-stunned with it all; I could haTdly realise that I was just going to describe to the world the scenes outside the Palace. "I can remember only little bits of what I said. I recall something about the Palace being an idol worsh'ipped by the crowds, and a symbol of the strength of the Empire . . . just before I was faded out I said, 'It is difficult to describo in words. . . "It was all over then. I left tho stand, walked across the pafk, and went home. " Tom says he will never forget - the Coronation. It gave him the biggest thrill, the biggest laugh he's ever likely to have. "AJthough that is the end of the news, here is some news of ourselves and a story against ourselves," - said the announcer at the end of the 9.50 National news last night. A young ntan in tho crowd outside Buckingham Palace last night succeeded in climbing into the B.B.C. outside broadcasting unit in the stand at Green Park and represented himself to be one of the observers. Ile broadcast a Lrief description of the scene in the, 10 o'clock programme."