Five leading British actresses play the Queen at pivotal times in her life in this ground breaking series for Channel 4. The unauthorised drama series explores key events in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, mixing dramatised scenes with news archives and testimonies from royal insiders. The five-part series runs over the duration of five consecutive days. Episode one, starring Emilia Fox as the Queen, begins in 1955, when the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret (Katie McGrath), had to decide whether or not to marry Peter Townsend. Episode two, starring Samantha Bond as the Queen, focuses on the kidnap attempt on Princess Anne in 1974. Episode three explores the tension between the Crown and the government in 1986 when Margaret Thatcher set herself in opposition to the Queen (Susan Jameson) and the Commonwealth over sanctions against South Africa. Episode 4, which was filmed on location the East of England, portrays the infamous “Annus Horribilis” of 1992 which saw the Queen (Barbara Flynn) deal with the separations of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in addition to Windsor Castle being badly damaged in a fire. The series concludes in 2005 with Prince Charles’ marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles where the Queen (Diana Quick) experiences royal conflicts between love and duty. The series will not cover Princess Diana’s death in 1997 which formed the basis of the 2006 film The Queen which saw Helen Mirren win Oscar glory for the leading role which also filmed in the East of England. The series is due to be broadcast on US network ABC ensuring international interest in the UK’s most famous family.
Release / Airing: 29/11/2009
Locations used for this production:
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Knebworth House >
After extensive location scouting all over Southern England, the spectacular Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, was chosen for scenes in episode 4 starring Barbara Flynn as the Queen, revealing how she coped with a catalogue of scandals involving her family and of course, the fire in Windsor Castle. The formal gardens at Knebworth doubled for Kensington Palace grounds, Knebworth’s ornate picture gallery became interiors of Buckingham Palace, the lavish library doubled for Windsor Castle and the elegance of Knebworth’s dining room became Kensington Palace. Location owner, Martha Lytton Cobbold, said “This is one of many filming projects that we have had at Knebworth this year and we have enjoyed working closely and in partnership with them all. It is terribly exciting for all to see the end result”.
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