Just as a coda to the BBC's Nelson Mandela coverage, here's some more statistical evidence that the BBC went OTT with its coverage.
Comparing the number of BBC website articles that were published about Margaret Thatcher over the ten days between her death and funeral (8-18 April 2013) with those published about Nelson Mandela over the ten days between his death and funeral (5-15 December 2013) reveals:
287 News articles about Margaret Thatcher on the BBC website following her death
451 News articles about Nelson Mandela on the BBC website following his death
...which is 57% more BBC online coverage about the former South African president than about the former British prime minister.
