We all know that broadcasters had spent decades preparing for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose 70-year reign ended last autumn at the age of 96. Yet, as anyone who’s ever worked in a newsroom knows, even the best-laid plans can come unstuck.
This was the case last September when heavy rain disrupted live aerial TV coverage of the cortege containing the monarch’s coffin, which had been flown from Edinburgh to London.
Dame Helen Mirren, Damian Lewis, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise will lead the star-studded cast for the first ever televised event to mark such a historic occasion.
Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham will host the live broadcast, joined by guests including Adjoa Andoh, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ant & Dec, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Maureen Lipman, Sir David Jason, Alan Titchmarsh, Dame Kelly Holmes, Moira Stuart and Sir Trevor McDonald.
A short trailer accompanied the announcement, in which Olivia Colman’s Queen Elizabeth II declares: “Something as important as the monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail.”
The trailer also introduced the characters of Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana, played by Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin.
The coming series will follow the arrival of Thatcher as Prime Minister and Diana’s turbulent relationship with Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor).
