Diana: The Witnesses In The Tunnel
The programme that has been debated up and down the country before it was aired was finally shown tonight, and as I expected the controversy was completely out of sync with the actual footage shown. For a change, this programme promised to get the facts from the people who were actually there, the photographers and journalists who were first on the scene, and it made for a refreshing change to hear it from the horses mouth.
In the UK, and around the world, the thought of a programme revisiting the facts behind the Princes Diana crash sparked outrage and revulsion. The main sticking point was the prospect of Channel 4 displaying pictures from the crash scene, some showing Diana receiving treatment. Even Diana’s sons William and Harry had become involved and asked that her dignity be respected. Channel 4 decided to go ahead with the programme, after pronouncing that Diana’s face would not be shown, and they stuck to their word.
The programme was preceded by a warning about the nature of the footage, and that sensitive viewers should beware. The story began when Diana went on holiday to France with Dodi Al-Fayed and from the outset, the paparazzi photographers were after a story. Photos of the couple relaxing on a boat were splashed all over the papers in the days before the crash.
On to the evening of the crash August 31st 1997, and we were shown CCTV footage of the hotel lobby, with driver Henri Paul looking outside, interspersed with interviews of the photographers who were present. Some of them cottoned on to the chances that Di and Dodi wouldn’t be leaving by the front door that evening, and waited around the back door for them to exit. When they did, these photographers got the shots they were after, and some even went home content they had their story. For those who were left, it then became a choice of whether to follow the Princess’ black Mercedes or to explain to their agents and editors they’d failed in their assignment.
The car drove off, with Henri Paul driving, and bodyguard Trevor Rhys Jones in the front seat, while in the back were Princess Diana, and Dodi. The paparazzi who had decided to trail the car set off after it on motorbikes, and seeing them approaching, Henri Paul accelerated away, and a few minutes later entered the Pont de l’Alma tunnel at 65mph. The first photographer in the pack, Romuald Rat entered the tunnel, and the sight which met him was the princess’ car sat buckled against the wall, facing back the way it had come, lights on and horn blaring. Romuald knew first aid and immediately tried to help, opening the car door to see what he could do. He could see that Henri and Dodi had died straight away in the crash, but Trevor and Diana were still conscious and moving.
This is when the programme started showing photos taken on the night of the crash, but none shocked me, as they were as tastefully done as any crash photos could be. More photographers arrived at the site, and some took pictures of the scene, but were roundly shouted down and told to stop by others there. At this point, Diana’s external injuries seemed slight, and the police and fire brigade were called to the crash site. 17 minutes after the crash, an ambulance arrived, and helped with the treatment of the princess. At this point, 7 of the photographers were arrested, and assumed to be the cause of the crash. They were taken away in a police van, and had their cameras and negatives seized. Unfortunately for the police, 2 of the photographers had already left the tunnel though, and were busy selling the pictures to the media around the world. The picture editor of The Sun newspaper was called while in bed, and prompted to get to his office to receive photos of Diana having been in a car crash.
The newsdesks were full, and the editor had agreed to pay the £300,000 asking price to secure UK rights to these pictures. At this point though, Diana was assumed to be ok, and the journalists were expecting her to make a full recovery. These pictures were regarded as priceless at this point of the night.
It took 37 minutes to get the princess out of the car, and as the paramedics did so, she had a heart attack and suffered internal haemoragging. They then spent 40 minutes treating her in the ambulance in the tunnel, and it was a further 25 minutes before they reached the hospital. She had a 2nd heart attack while they were trying to resuscitate her and was pronounced dead at 4am.
At this point the photos became worthless, going from being footage of an injured princess in a car crash, to the moment Diana, queen of hearts, died. By now half a billion people were awake and watching the media for news of what had happened, and at 6am the news was officially announced that the princess had died. The agent who had been hawking the pictures for sale to anyone and everyone immediately ceased all transactions, ripped up the faxes, and stopped taking calls.
All the photographs taken on the night were seized, and studied to provide evidence against the paparazzi who were still languishing in jail, and assumed to be the main reason for the crash. The media, garnering their information from the French authorities, was directly blaming the paparazzi for the crash, and news photographers in London started being abused as well as a result.
Then with the joint evidence of there being no photos of the car entering the tunnel, and the fact that Henri Paul was over the drink drive limit, the truth came out, and the photographers were set free. While some of them didn’t exactly act wholesomely on the night, they certainly didn’t deserve the treatment meted out to them.
The programme ended with footage of the Diana funeral, and her brother Charles Earl Spencer still blaming the media for her death. The photographers lives were ruined, and most haven’t worked since, or had to change professions.
It was a very interesting programme, and with the 10th anniversary of Diana’s death approaching fast, I think it can draw a line under the tragedy very well. The controversial images weren’t anywhere near as bad as claimed in advance of tonight, and I think the whole thing was very professional, what was shown being necessary to the story. It also showed a different side of the story than is usually told, the one of the paprazzi who have been reviled since the tragedy.
Princess Diana, Diana, Diana The Witnesses In The Tunnel, Paparazzi, Princess Diana Documentary, UK, Britain, Crash, Crash Photos
June 6th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
wow thanks for the in depth coverage. It’s odd that I, as an American, still remember the moment I heard about her death. It was so shocking and sad.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
I remember it too, Paul. I was in middle school, but it still seems like yesterday. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I still find it so, so sad.
June 7th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Thanks for commenting you two.
Paul, I remember the moment I heard like it was yesterday. I was up late listening to the radio, and playing videogames, and the talkshow host announced it. I was shocked, and still am.
Allison, I was very sad watching the programme, and writing parts of the review. It was like living it over again. She got some bad press, but her death affected so many people, it was a global story and tragedy.
July 9th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
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September 25th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
[...] Princess Diana Documentary Cleared Of Any Broadcasting Breaches | Ofcom Clear Channel 4 by Dave Parrack Back in June, Channel 4 screened a controversial documentary about the crash that killed Princess Diana. Titled ‘Diana: The Witnesses In The Tunnel’, it was a look at the tragedy from the point of view of the paparazzi photographers who were present at the scene and wrongly blamed for the crash afterwards. I wrote a full and thorough review of the documentary at the time it aired which you can read here. [...]
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:16 pm
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