CANNES – British broadcasters are offering their international counterparts an array of royal-related products at the MIPTV trade show this week ahead of the much-anticipated royal wedding.
Up for sale at the world’s premier market for buying and selling programming are documentaries about Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton to historical shows about royal weddings over the decades.
A one-off special production by Britain’s BBC Worldwide, “William and Kate: A Royal Engagement”, has already been snapped up by 32 broadcasters in over 24 markets from the United States and Italy to Thailand and Australia. With contributions from historians, biographers and friends of the couple, it promises viewers an insight into Wills and Kate’s very different backgrounds and upbringings, and tracks the events leading up to their engagement.
The BBC is also pitching a two-part documentary, “Britain’s Royal Weddings,” that reaches deep into the archives of the world’s biggest public broadcaster to explore footage of royal marriages since 1923.
In doing so, the programme reveals how social attitudes and national circumstances have influenced what the public has come to expect from Britain’s royal nuptials.
“Inside the Royal Wedding” goes behind the scenes to follow the preparations for the April 29 wedding, following VIP guests, florists and outfitters to the royal household and charting the excitement and nightmares surrounding a wedding that the world will be watching.
Britain’s main commercial broadcaster ITV is offering foreign buyers a one-hour film in high definition of all aspects of the big day, from the excitement of the crowds to the full ceremony itself and the couple’s balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace.
From Canada, the Global Telemedia group is offering a 50-minute retrospective, “The Royals”, with footage of historic moments in the lives of the royal family.
US chat show legend Oprah Winfrey is also getting into the royal mood – her cable network has prepared a two-part, 90-minute special, “Prince William and Catherine: A Royal Love Story”. And Food Network UK is covering the culinary side of things with “Secrets Of The Royal Kitchen” featuring chef Graham Newbould, a former personal chef to Prince Charles.
