Tom Bradby ‘failed’ in Prince Harry doc says Libby Purves

Prince Harry lookalike ‘endangered’ by Spare revelations

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What was meant to be one of the most highly anticipated reality television programmes of 2022 failed to pull viewers away from fictional television shows, and Libby Purves believes she knows why. The 72-year-old claimed it all fell down to Tom Bradby’s questioning of the Prince, or lack thereof.

Earlier this month, ITV broadcast Prince Harry’s only UK interview days before the launch of his memoir Spare.

Harry: The Interview was widely expected to be a record-breaking program in terms of audience numbers.

However, the 90-minute interview with journalist Tom Bradby struggled to pull viewers from the likes of shows such as crime drama, Happy Valley.

Having worked as a radio presenter, journalist and author, Libby provided her unique insight on just why so many may have switched channels or avoided the show from the start.

Speaking to Radio Times, Libby declared that the troubles and experiences Prince Harry revealed were just too far away from the daily lives of viewers for them to have any type of empathy on the topic.

The journalist lamented that on paper the interview seemed like “TV gold” as the controversial Prince, and fifth in line to the British throne, was to spill “all the family beans”.

Although the tale and potential backlash from the interview was “theoretically dramatic or even royally Shakespearean”, the former radio host said she understood why viewers opted for fictional shows “more grittily grounded in complicated humanity”.

She explained that there were a few core issues with the program, which when combined made it unwatchable for many.

Libby claimed “the sharpest bits were wasted in constant trails and leaks” but its biggest downfall was only having one point of view.

Libby claimed this was not a result of the Prince’s conduct, but rather who he was being interviewed by.

She slammed Tom, saying: “Bradby failed to ask for solid details of royal family misdeeds, or to inquire whether Harry took any personal responsibility for the mess and his own attitude.”

Although, Libby also claimed that many “suspected” this is how the interview would go down when it was revealed that Prince Harry’s “old friend” was to conduct it.

She lamented the program, describing it as “90 depressing minutes”.

While the Duke of Sussex recounted some harrowing and never-before-told tales from his life inside the palace, it still remained too out-of-touch to resonate with its audience, Libby claimed – an area where fictional TV dramas tend to succeed with ease.

She explained that the fictional families in Happy Valley “don’t read rumours in the Mirror or the Mail.

“They don’t have time to fret about lip-gloss or disrespect on another’s beards” she continued, referencing some of the stories the Prince had shared.

Libby concluded, slamming Harry’s interview once more saying: “It isn’t hard to see how

audiences fled towards empathy, humour and understanding.”

Journalist Dan Wootton had similar complaints about the program, particularly as he believed Prince Harry and Tom’s long-running friendship impacted not just the interview but the public’s perception of the journalist.

He tweeted just after the show ended: “One thing is for certain: Harry and Meghan know how to trash the journalistic credibility of their close pals.

“First, Oprah Winfrey and now Tom Bradby, who both failed to ask for evidence of their largely ludicrous and fanciful claims.”

The next issue of Radio Times featuring Libby Purves’ full opinion piece goes on sale on January 17th.

Express.co.uk has contacted Prince Harry and Tom Bradby’s representatives for comment.

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