Filmed throughout his one hundredth year – before and after his death – this landmark portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh features only those who knew him best: his family and closest staff.
Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, Sophie Raworth and Claire Balding are your guides for the historic coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday 6 May. From her studio outside Buckingham Palace, Kirsty will be joined by guests, including friends and colleagues of the King and Queen, who will share their personal insights. Throughout the morning, a series of films will explore the King’s passions, and a broad range of experts will join Kirsty to provide analysis of this new chapter in British history. Across the capital, a team of presenters will be in key locations to report and commentate throughout the day as events unfold. As the armed forces prepare for one of the largest military parades in living memory, JJ Chalmers will speak to servicemen and women from across the UK and the Commonwealth as they arrive in London to take their positions.
The coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation was held more than one year later because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies. It also gave the planning committees adequate time to make preparations for the ceremony.
Marking the Diamond Jubilee (1952-2012) of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles shares his memories of the private side of his mother, the Queen, making use of his family's home movies.
Even the most devout monarchist may feel uncomfortable watching this film - hindsight makes this a rather poignant experience. Although clearly intended as a hymn to royal life, with a panting narration describing the bliss Charles, Anne and Andrew are experiencing (the film was made three years before the birth of Edward), the images tell a different story - only a couple of shots feature the children smiling, while the first glimpse of Andrew as a baby, a spotlight shining on his face as photographers snap away, is a faintly sinister symbol of the royals’ lack of privacy from birth. The knowledge that a future of divorce and tabloid scandal would tarnish these children's adult lives adds irony to this snapshot of supposed utopia.
The story of Queen Elizabeth II in her own words, featuring never-before-seen home movies.
Follows King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the aftermath of the death and state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and the start of his reign.
On the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a special documentary featuring contributions from HM King Charles III, her children, public figures, and those who worked with her. With previously unseen archive footage from the Queen's collection.
A behind-the-scenes look at royal weddings revealing how these grand events are organised. Featuring interviews with the performers, florists, dressmakers, tailors, security guards, vicars and jewellers who helped make the day so special.
Coverage of the ceremonial procession of the Queen's coffin through central London to lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. HM the King and members of the royal family take part in the procession as the cortège makes its way from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster. The doors of Westminster Hall will open for the first members of the public to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
With the Olympics returning to Greece, the opening ceremony of Athens 2004 sought to show the entire development of the Olympics over the centuries, until arriving at the modern Olympics.
Britain and Turkey had not always enjoyed the ‘special’ friendship referred to in the commentary. Their armies were on opposing sides in the First World War and there had been disagreementt over the future of Cyprus in the run up to the settlement of 1960. In the 1960s relations improved and this reciprocal tour (the President of Turkey, Cevdet Sunay, had paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in November 1967) was regarded as a milestone in the bilateral alliance between the two countries. The camera affords the viewer a prime vantage point by which to marvel at the splendour of the pageantry and contemplate every nuance of gesture and sartorial detail. As we linger on the bejewelled Queen waiting patiently at the British Embassy in Ankara to greet her guests we wonder what it might be like to be in her shoes.
n the evening of 5 June 1944, thousands of allied servicemen were waiting courageously for the signal to launch. In the 24 hours that followed, the troops of D-Day achieved the unthinkable, pushing the boundaries of ingenuity, bravery and sacrifice. Eighty years later, as night falls, a reflective and poignant event will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Bayeux. The Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, alongside actors, musicians and currently serving military, will help mark the memories of those who took part, to hear their voices and to honour those who never made it home.
In 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Lucino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world’s most beautiful boy. A shadow that today, 50 years later, weighs Björn Andrésen’s life.
A unique celebration of the Queen's ninety years as she reaches her landmark birthday in April. Film-maker John Bridcut has been granted special access to the complete collection of Her Majesty's personal ciné films, shot by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself, as well as by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Much of it has never been seen publicly before. Various members of the Royal Family are filmed watching this private footage and contributing their own personal insights and their memories of the woman they know both as a member of their own close family and as queen. Among those taking part are the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra, who has never before given an interview.
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (UTC+8) on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number in Chinese culture. Featuring more than 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours and cost over $100 million USD to produce.
With fireworks forming the word “Rio” in the sky and supermodel Gisele Bundchen shimmering to the tune of “The Girl from Ipanema,” Rio de Janiero welcomed the world to the first Olympic Games in South America with a serious message underlying the celebration: Let’s take care of our planet.
Opening Ceremony
Hosted by Keeley Hawes, star of the popular television series The Durrells, this documentary reveals the adventures of the eccentric Durrell family once they left Corfu, Greece.
The Grand Knockout Tournament (colloquially also known as It's a Royal Knockout) was a one-off charity event which was shown on British television on 19 June 1987. It followed the format of It's a Knockout, a slapstick TV gameshow which was broadcast in the UK until 1982. The event was staged on the lakeside lawn of the Alton Towers stately home-cum-theme park.
The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only Diamond Jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for the 60th anniversary of the 1837 accession of Queen Victoria. Following the tradition of the Queen's Silver and Golden Jubilees, commemorative events were held throughout the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh toured the United Kingdom and other members of the Royal Family toured the rest of the Commonwealth as the monarch' representatives. The jubilee celebrations marked the beginning of the withdrawal of the Duke of Edinburgh from public life and a more prominent role for the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry in commonwealth affairs. Numerous events and tributes were held over the year and throughout the Commonwealth, culminating in a jubilee pageant held in London.
Join HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey as they celebrate the momentous occasion of their marriage. Footage includes Catherine's breathtaking arrival at Westminster Abbey, the full ceremony, the carriage procession and the traditional balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace. Presented by Huw Edwards
Intimate portrait of the daily life of the British Royal Family drawn from 18 months of filming within Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral.
A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.
Dean Martin live in London 1983
Charting the life of the trailblazing royal who's done it all her own way.