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A full guide to the BBC’s two-week King’s Coronation coverage

From Royal Bargain Hunt to a street party on Albert Square, The Telegraph takes a look at the programmes you can’t afford to miss

ByPatrick Sawer, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER14 April 2023 • 12:23pm

The BBC has announced its long-awaited programming schedule for the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend, with a star-studded calendar specially prepared to celebrate King Charles and his crowning on May 6. 

Specially curated programmes will stretch over two weeks, beginning on April 23 and ending the day after the Coronation, including live coverage of the day itself and the Coronation concert.

Kirsty Young is set to anchor coverage on the day itself, with the full lineup also including Nicholas Witchell, JJ Chalmers, Anita Rani, and Clare Balding among others.

And on Sky News, Dame Joanna Lumley is set to join the coverage of the festivities. 

The Absolutely Fabulous actress, who provided commentary for Sky News for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last year, will be attending the service at Westminster Abbey in May as a guest of the King and Queen.

She will then be joining the broadcaster’s Coronation line-up, which includes royal events commentator Alastair Bruce and presenters Kay Burley and Anna Botting.

Aside from the live action, viewers can expect a Coronation-themed EastEnders episode, an Antiques Roadshow Coronation Special and a closer look at the King’s path to the throne in The Making of a Monarch.

Below The Telegraph explains exactly what’s on the TV menu, and the programmes you can’t afford to miss.

BBC TV Coronation programmes

Sunday April 23 

Countryfile – The King and the Countryside – Hamza Yassin and Charlotte Smith at Dumfries House, in Ayrshire, to showcase King Charles’ enthusiasm for farming, country crafts and the revival of wildlife.

Sunday April 30 

Charles R: The Making of a Monarch – A programme telling the story of the King’s more than seven decades as heir to the throne, using archive newsreels, home movies, interviews and documentaries.

Songs of Praise: The King’s Journey to Coronation – Aled Jones visits Highgrove House and gardens, a testament to King Charles’ lifelong desire to champion causes close to his heart, especially for the environment.

From Monday May 1

The One Show – The coronation week will be will launched with a one-hour special featuring the brilliant work being done across all the nations and communities of the UK in the build-up to the biggest weekend of the year.

EastEnders – Albert Square will mark the historic occasion with a Coronation-themed street party.

Wednesday May 3

Stitching for Britain – Bespoke menswear designer and Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant takes viewers “behind the seams” at uniform manufacturers, Kashket & Partners, as they prepare thousands of spectacular parade uniforms for Coronation Day.

Friday May 5 

Sing For The King: The Search for the Coronation Choir – How the 300-strong choir singing for The King and Queen at the Coronation Concert was assembled.

Royal Bargain Hunt – Christina Trevanion hosts a special Coronation episode at Newark Antiques fair.

Saturday May 6

The Coronation – Live broadcast of the Coronation Service from Westminster Abbey and surrounding ceremonial events, opening with the departure of Their Majesties The King and Queen from Buckingham Palace and culminating with the appearance of the newly crowned monarchs on the balcony of the palace.

Sunday May 7 

Coronation Kitchen Live – To mark the historic event of the Coronation, Saturday Kitchen will broadcast live and look ahead to the Big Lunch and the Coronation Concert.

Antiques Roadshow Coronation Special – The special edition of the programme celebrates Britain’s fascination with all things regal by taking a look through the show’s archives.

Songs of Praise: A Coronation Celebration – Katherine Jenkins and Pam Rhodes visit the magnificent Hampton Court Palace to look back into royal history and to look forward to what may define King Charles’ reign.

Coronation Concert – Broadcast live from Windsor Castle, with a host of music icons and contemporary stars performing in honour of the King and Queen, including a 74 piece world-class classical orchestra and the 300-strong Coronation Choir.

A centrepiece of the Coronation Concert will be “Lighting up the Nation”, when iconic locations across the United Kingdom are lit up using projections, lasers, potential drone displays and illuminations.

Radio

There will also be a selection of Coronation-themed programmes on BBC Sounds, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Five Live, including: Charles: the Making of a King on Radio 4, with Sarah Montague looking back at the people and events which shaped Britain’s longest serving Prince of Wales.

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