QEII’s Big 80
- Two U.S. premiere royal specials present a definitive history of the reign of Elizabeth II -
BBC AMERICA marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th year with two U.S. premiere royal specials that examine the extraordinary life of the third-longest reigning monarch in English history. Queen and Country, a four-hour special, premieres Sunday, June 11, 3:00 p.m. ET/PT. H. M. The Queen: A Remarkable Life premieres Sunday, June 11, 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
QUEEN AND COUNTRY — U.S. PREMIERE
Queen and Country, a four-hour special with high profile contributors, exclusive archive material and specially shot footage is an entertaining and revealing celebration of the Queen’s life and work. It tells the story of Elizabeth, examines key aspects of her reign, the immense social changes within Britain over which she has presided and looks at what has made her sovereignty so distinctive. The program relies on the personal insights of friends and those who have served her. Some have never spoken publicly before, and their direct evidence informs this portrait of one of the most-photographed personalities in the world who remains an enigma to many of her people. The four hour-long parts are written and presented by the celebrated British author, William Shawcross.
Part one – Servant of the People
Servant of the People examines the changing relationship between the Queen and her subjects during her more than 50-year reign. Beginning with the Queen’s accession to the throne following her father’s death while she was in Africa and the huge impact of her coronation ceremony, the program charts changing attitudes to the monarchy during a period of immense social change. From the introduction of Royal walkabouts and television and radio broadcasts during the Holiday Season to the affect of an infamous fly-on-the-wall documentary, Royal Family, the program reflects on the evolution of the public face of the monarchy. Contributors include Baroness Thatcher, John Major, The Princess Royal and Lady Pamela Hicks, a former lady-in-waiting, as well as many ordinary people who have met the Queen during her reign.
Part two – Private Passions
In an age when the private lives of the Royal Family have become the subject of intense media attention, the Queen has remained an elusive figure. Private Passions explores her life away from official duties revealing her favorite pastimes, how she relaxes, who her influences are and how she handles problems in her own family. Bishop Michael Mann talks of the Christian faith and deep sense of duty that underpins her daily life, the Princess Royal talks candidly about having a mother who is also the monarch. The Queen’s passion for horses is explored with interviews from her trainer and former stud manager and her former Private Secretary tells of an occasion when she interrupted dinner with the Prime Minister to hear the results of the day’s racing. Her former gun dog manager reveals her love of the country and her sense of mischief as she disguises herself to go on walks. The program includes newly shot footage of the Queen off duty with her dogs on the moors and with her horses at her Sandringham home. Private Passions also includes home-movie footage of the Queen as a child that has never been shown before.
Part three – Enduring Loyalties
Enduring Loyalties examines the Queen’s role on the international stage and her responsibilities as head of the Commonwealth (a loose association of former British colonies, dependencies and other territories). When she was crowned in 1952, the Queen had 300 million subjects around the world, but most of the colonies, which claimed Elizabeth as their Queen, have long since become independent republics. She has traveled more widely than all her predecessors and, on her first Coronation overseas tour, the young Queen was mobbed just as excitedly as Princess Diana was thirty years later. This program reveals how her talent for diplomacy has often deflected many potentially embarrassing situations while on trips abroad. Contributors include former senior Foreign Office Ministers and an interview with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who talks about the unique part the Queen plays in international relations.
Part four – My Government & I
The relationship between The Queen, as Head of State, and her Prime Minister is at the heart of the British constitution. Every Tuesday evening, when both monarch and Prime Minister are in London, they meet to discuss the week’s events. What is said at their weekly conversations remains completely private. The Queen’s first Prime Minister was Winston Churchill, and in some ways he remained her favorite. Each was overawed by the other – he was impressed by her youthful eagerness to learn, she by his long and victorious life. Churchill’s daughter, Mary, talks about their relationship and says that her father was ‘pretty much in love with her.’ Former Prime Minister John Major explains how useful he found their weekly meeting, Margaret Thatcher talks about the sadness she felt on her last audience with the Queen and Tony Blair explains how much he values their relationship and respects her knowledge and experience.
WHAT THE BRITISH PRESS SAID
“The BBC’s four-part series on the Queen is a wonderful piece of TV. In fact, we would argue it is one of the best and most revealing documentaries the Beeb has ever commissioned.” The Sun
“… a portrait of a monarch full of warmth, mischief and fun, whose austere front belies a cultivated sense of the ridiculous.” The Times
“…a remarkable series.” Sunday Times
“The series… gives an intimate and often surprising insight into the Queen as a mother and as a monarch.” Daily Mail
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Writer and presenter William Shawcross
Series producer John Bridcut
Executive Producers George Carey/Richard Klein
H. M. THE QUEEN: A REMARKABLE LIFE — U.S. PREMIERE
Since she was crowned Queen more than 50 years ago, the world has seen many great changes — the end of the Cold War, technology creating a global society, change in the pattern of people’s lives and the disappearance of familiar reference points. Through it all, Queen Elizabeth II has been a constant.
H. M. The Queen: A Remarkable Life counterpoints changes in the world around Elizabeth with her own unchanging role as Head of State. The show chronicles successive Prime Ministers and Presidents, changes in fashion, royal tours and The Queen’s affection for the Commonwealth. The program also remembers her marriage and family life contrasting her happy engagement photographs of 1947 with her ‘annus horribilis’ in 1996 when Windsor Castle suffered a devastating fire.
Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, the Queen has seen the extension of the UK’s influence throughout the globe in a new way. British cultural and financial influence has increased while the country’s political power has declined. The Queen has performed the remarkable feat of remaining constant while allowing her people to change. This new documentary gets beneath the surface to evoke the character of a modest but impressive Queen.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Director/Producer Alan Scales
Executive Producer Adrian Munsey
