BBC ushers in The Coronation

Smithsonian Channel in the US and ABC in Australia are coproducing The Coronation

BBC1 in the UK will tell the story of the Crown Jewels and their ancient ceremony as part of a Royal Collection Season airing across the pubcaster’s TV and radio channels.

The Coronation (1×60’), made by Bafta and Atlantic Productions, is a coproduction with Smithsonian Channel in the US and ABC in Australia and distributed by FremantleMedia International.

The show’s been commissioned by Charlotte Moore, director of content and Tom McDonald, head of commissioning for natural history and specialist factual, while commissioning editor is Simon Young.

The Coronation explores the role and symbolic meaning of the Crown Jewels in the centuries-old coronation ceremony. The executive producer for Atlantic Productions is Anthony Geffen and producer/director is Harvey Lilley, with Alastair Bruce as programme consultant.

The show is part of the Royal Collection Season, a partnership between the BBC and Royal Collection Trust. Programmes will reveal the history of the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world.

Other shows in the season include Art, Passion & Power: The Story of the Royal Collection (4×60’) on BBC4 in which Andrew Graham-Dixon reveals some of the works of art in the Royal Collection; and Charles I’s Treasures Reunited (1×60’) on BBC2, which sees Brenda Emmanus explore the Royal Academy’s exhibition Charles I: King and Collector, organised in partnership with the Royal Collection Trust.