As the nation prepares for the coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort next month, Channel 4 is set to mark the occasion in an altogether different way.
Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy airs in the build up to the coronation, providing a different perspective on the history of the royal family and its modern-day goings on, as the comedian asks whether the royal family has a place in today’s world. Or, as he puts it: “Increasingly, the British monarchy appear like animals in a zoo that’s fallen on hard times – fidgety, balding, pacing up and down their marble cage, pausing only to chew their own tail off or commit a sex crime out of boredom.”
A coronation special of The Windsors sees Harry Enfield reprise his role as the soon-to-be-King Charles who is preparing for the UK’s first coronation in 70 years. But whilst the new King is keen for his coronation to be a grand affair, sadly, the UK is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and Wills thinks the event should reflect these more straitened times. Is Charles willing to kick start his reign with a cut price coronation?
In Andrew - The Problem Prince (w/t), Emily Maitlis speaks in detail about the interview that shook the monarchy and the world in November 2019. This brand-new two-part documentary series uses rare archive footage, interviews with BBC producer Sam McAlister and exclusive access to palace insiders, to uncover the inside story of Prince Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview and unravel the scandal that led to his spectacular fall from grace.
There will also be another chance to watch Prince Andrew: The Musical.
On the day of the coronation itself, Saturday 6th May, Channel 4 will have an alternative schedule (to be confirmed) that will provide an escape from the pomp and ceremony elsewhere.
Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz, comments: “Channel 4 exists to provide viewers with an alternative, so as the nation is engulfed by pomp, circumstance and forelock-tugging, we’ll be offering a rather less reverential slate of programmes including Frankie Boyle’s case against the monarchy and the Windsors’ scabrous satirical take on the Coronation.”
Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy
To mark the beginning of a new chapter in the British monarchy, comedian Frankie Boyle takes a wry, if typically spiky, look at the state of the Royal family and its future: by looking back at its 1,000-year history.
As he focuses on the behaviour of royals past – violent, ruthless, land grabbing, child murdering, wife-beheading, slave trading, misogynist and empire-building – he wonders how these qualities have shaped our royal family today.
Frankie’s long been fascinated by the strange and unique institution that is the British royal family, especially how it has survived so long. It may be the most famous monarchy in the world, but with the Coronation of King Charles looming, he wants to know should it, and will it, continue?
1 x 60 min
Two Rivers Media
Producer/Director: Ross Wilson
Executive producer: Alan Clements
Commissioning Editor: Anna Miralis
The Windsors Coronation Special
The Windsors are back and they’re more deluded and dysfunctional than ever before! Plus, one of them is being crowned King. Charles’ (Harry Enfield) whole life has been building up to this moment and he wants the UK’s first coronation in seventy years to be a spectacular affair, as does his Queen Consort Camilla (Haydn Gwynne).
Sadly, the UK is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and Wills (Hugh Skinner) thinks the coronation should reflect these more straitened times. As for Harry (Richard Goulding) and Meghan (Kathryn Drysdale) they’re finally free of Windsors’ family issues to concentrate on their simple life in California. But can they really afford to miss Harry’s father’s coronation?
The Windsors Coronation Special also stars Kate Middleton (Louise Ford), Pippa Middleton (Morgana Robinson), Princess Beatrice (Ellie White), Princess Eugenie (Celeste Dring), Princess Anne (Vicki Pepperdine) and Prince Edward (Matthew Cottle). And introducing Sophie Wessex (Anna Morris).
1 x 60 min
Noho Film and TV
Written by Bert Tyler-Moore
Executive producers: Camilla Campbell and Robert Wulff-Cochrane
Commissioning editors: Charlie Perkins, Joe Hullait and Andy Brereton
Andrew - The Problem Prince (w/t)
Channel 4/A&E is set to bring viewers a new and fascinating two-part series, Andrew - The Problem Prince (w/t). The series features the twists and turns of palace intrigue, secret conversations and the Queen's involvement, told through the lens of the infamous BBC Newsnight interview that shook the monarchy to its core in November 2019. With exclusive interviews and unprecedented access, the series provides a unique perspective on the prince's life, offering an in-depth look at the chain of events that led to his downfall.
The documentary features interviews with renowned journalist Emily Maitlis, who gives a first-hand account of the nerve-wracking preparations and the interview that forever changed Prince Andrew's life. The series also features Sam McAlister, the BBC Newsnight producer who spent over a year negotiating the interview with the Palace and securing the scoop of a lifetime. Using rare archive footage, as well as exclusive interviews with palace insiders and those who know Prince Andrew best, Andrew - The Problem Prince (w/t) unravels the web of scandal that led to his spectacular fall from grace. The series examines his ill-fated relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which ultimately led to the Newsnight interview.
Structured around the interview, the series explores his early years as the "enfant terrible" of the Royal Family to his heroic status as a Falklands war hero, his dubious business connections and descent into infamy.
2 x 60 min
Candle True Stories and Bitachon365
Series Directors: Paula Wittig & Chris Martin
Series Producer: Harry Pick
Executive Producers: James Goldston, Sheldon Lazarus, Nina Davies, Emily Maitlis