Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong is a six-part factual series that takes us into the secret history of Buckingham Palace, one of the world’s most famous buildings. For example, did you know that among its 775 rooms there’s a doctor’s surgery, a post office and even an ATM in the basement?
For this intriguing series Alexander Armstrong reveals the historical secrets of the royal residence, including the truth about Queen Victoria’s rat-infested living quarters and how a party-loving prince almost razed the palace to the ground!
"The building has been at the heart of British life for over 250 years," says Pointless host Alexander Armstrong. "But the story of the palace is one steeped in intrigue, love, tragedy, extravagance and madness!"
Across the six episodes on Channel 5, Alexander and co-hosts JJ Chalmers and Raksha Dave explore the history of London's royal residence from its early days as a modest country home to the vast 775-room edifice it is today.
Here's everything you need to know about Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong, including an interview with Alexander on what to expect...
Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong release date
Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong is a six-part series that starts on CHannel from Saturday July 29 at 9.15pm. Episodes will run weekly at the same time, plus you can catch up on streaming service My5.
Interview: Alexander Armstrong on his new Buckingham Palace series
What can we expect from the series Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong?
Alexander Armstrong says: "It’s fascinating! It tells the story of the role the palace has played in public life, and also of the people who have lived and worked in it from the beginning. And that beginning is quite hard to imagine these days because Buckingham Palace was originally a comparatively modest country house on the edge of London, surrounded by parkland, marshland and cow fields, until it was gradually ‘upgraded’ into an ever-grander property!"
Have you always admired the building?
Alexander says: "It’s not particularly lovely looking, but I’ve always been rather star-struck about the palace because it’s so famous. Growing up in Northumberland, to come to London as a child was the most exciting thing imaginable. All of London’s landmarks were truly jaw dropping to see in the flesh, but none more so than Buckingham Palace. That was almost as good as meeting the Queen herself!"
What has surprised you most about how Buckingham Palace has changed over the years?
Alexander says: "The extraordinary way the original house was subsumed into the mega-scale building we know now – I imagine it’s what it must be like if an old friend goes off to become a body-builder! The addition of the East Wing – the front section we see from the gates – was the moment it took on the ‘Buckingham Palace look’ that’s now recognised all over the world. I suppose it mirrored the rising status of Britain as a naval, industrial, trading and then imperial power."
Were there any other ‘wow’ moments for you while making the series?
Alexander says: "I was really touched to discover so many examples of Queen Victoria’s warmth and generosity. She has a reputation of ‘we-are-not-amused’ starchiness, and clearly she was a formidable person who didn’t suffer fools. But she was also fiercely loyal to those who looked after her. There’s a story involving her Master of the Household, who sacked one of the servants for stealing food from the kitchens. Victoria was appalled that any of her staff should be so destitute and insisted that he be reinstated and given a pay rise!"
What was the most extraordinary fact you learned?
Alexander says: "That the palace didn’t have any flushing loos until the Victorian era! The monarchs themselves had a ‘chamber’ but there wasn’t any provision for all the thousands and thousands of guests, so at dinners or balls they’d just disappear with chamber pots and the poor servants responsible would have to deal with it somehow. In fact the sanitation issue was one that clung to the palace like, well, a bad smell! Most of the waste was just slung into a cesspit in the cellars and consequently the palace, for all its gilded glory, absolutely stank!"
It must have been interesting living and working there in those days, then…Alexander says: "Yes! Prince Albert was the great moderniser, who insisted on proper flushing loos being installed and gradually the problem went away. But for years and years it must have been hideous. There was a constant need to put on the best possible show at all times, even though the palace was often less than fit for purpose. At the time of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s wedding, for example, the palace was overrun with rats – the whole building was pretty squalid!"
What was your personal highlight filming the series?
Alexander says: "Just to spend time outside the palace and see the pleasure thousands of people get from coming to stand in front of the Victoria Memorial and drink in the history, pomp and splendour. The palace has seen the coming together of crowds to mark so much of our recent history – everything from weddings, jubilees and coronations, to funerals, outbreaks of war and celebrations of peace. All life is there!"
Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong episode guide
Here's our brief episode guide to the six episodes of Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong. We'll be updating as the series progresses so do check back.
Episode 1: Saturday July 29, 9.15pm
This week, Alexander finds out how Buckingham Palace was first bought by King George III and his new bride Queen Charlotte in 1761. The couple set about renovating and the young queen even had her very own menagerie, including a zebra! "In 1762 she was sent a pair of zebras as a gift from South Africa, but only the female survived the voyage," says Alexander. "She was the first of her kind ever to set hoof on these shores and took up residence in Buckingham Palace gardens." However, although they had a zebra, the royal couple lacked a loo! Instead, a servant carried a portaloo around wherever the king went. But all that changed with some royal building work. "Over a 14-year period, the king and queen utterly transformed the house," says Alexander. "Added next to the royal bedrooms were cupboard-sized spaces fitted with basic toilets called water closets. So there was privacy for peeing at last!"
Episodes 2 to 6
Please check back for updates
Is there a trailer for Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong?
No trailer for Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong has yet been released by Channel, but when one arrives we'll post it here.
