In his latest column, the Tameside Radio presenter talks about striking the right tone following the sad death of Her Majesty the Queen.

TV and radio has felt very different in the last seven days, since the death of the Queen was announced by Buckingham Palace. It's something that broadcasters plan for, but still rather surreal to be part of.

Song lyrics are closely analysed to make sure there's nothing inappropriate, and the whole tone of programmes is adjusted to reflect the period of national mourning. This will continue until the Queen's funeral takes place on Monday morning, with a mixture of classical and ballads being broadcast.

So-called "obit mode" means you'll hear much more mellow music on Tameside Radio than usual, and as history plays out in real time, we pause many of our usual specialist programmes to cover unfolding events.

I can tell you that the music selection is thought about very carefully and anything that might strike the wrong tone is left out. Presenters are not given a script to stick to, but content is likely to be less jovial than usual, and more reflective of what's going on.

Newspapers have also come into their own, with souvenir editions published last Friday and at the weekend providing some stunning images from across seven decades of the Queen's time on the throne. I would imagine many people bought more than one paper, and it was probably the only time I can remember the Guardian and the Daily Star sharing the same front page image!

I can't imagine what it must have felt like for BBC News anchor Huw Edwards to announce the news to the nation on Thursday night. He has apparently revealed to Alistair Campbell that he rehearsed making the announcement "in front of his bathroom mirror" in order to ensure he got it right. Practice paid off, as he delivered the news in exactly the right tone, I thought. There was a flicker of human emotion, but he held it together under pressure brilliantly.

There is inevitably criticism from some quarters about saturation coverage, but I can tell you that every media outlet strives to get things right, and plans for these moments of history extremely meticulously. We all knew the Queen was 96 and that the moment would arrive, but I for one was still shocked when the news broke just after half past six last Thursday night.

I found the Queen's broadcast during the first Covid lockdown extremely moving, as she declared: "We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again". This, more than any politician's words during the pandemic, really stayed with me.

We will be covering the Queen's funeral on Monday morning on Tameside Radio too, as the nation marks this moment of history with an extra Bank Holiday. Future generations will look back on this week's events, as the country gained a new Prime Minister and a new King in a matter of days. Radio is the background to all our lives, and it would be frankly unthinkable if we didn't alter our tone to reflect this momentous moment.

I know for many that the Queen's death brings back memories of losses in their own lives, and it's been a sombre week for the country. I'm not a huge Royalist, but have huge respect for the way the new King delivered a speech to the nation at 6PM last Friday, less than 24 hours after the news broke that his mother had passed away. On a human level, that is remarkable.

One thing I always wonder though...what happens to all those lovely bouquets of flowers that are laid by the public? I hope they are given to people in hospital or put to some use, rather than just being binned. One slightly strange development was people leaving marmalade sandwiches in tribute, in a nod to Her Majesty's recent collaboration with Paddington Bear. I can't think of anything more uniquely British than that!

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM. Read more of Alex's recent columns here. 

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