ITV have announced its plans for coverage of the Coronation of King Charles III - with a never-before-seen broadcasting twist.
A special programme produced by ITV News King Charles III: The Coronation will be broadcast live from 8.30am to 3pm on Saturday 6th May giving viewers on ITV1 and ITVX a close up view of all the events of Coronation Day.
Presenters Julie Etchingham and Tom Bradby will guide viewers through a day of pageantry and celebration.
The ITV team including Mary Nightingale, Nina Hossain, Charlene White and James Mates will be at the key locations ensuring viewers don't miss a moment during six and a half hours of live, uninterrupted coverage.
The major live event programme produced by ITV News will be the centrepiece of a week of special ITV coverage.
In a first for ITV, live audio description of the Coronation ceremony will be available through the ITV1 TV coverage, and live signing of the Coronation ceremony will be available on ITV3.
From Monday 1st May, ITV Daytime programmes including Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will recognise and celebrate the Coronation of HM King Charles III.
On the week leading up to the Coronation, Good Morning Britain will be joined by an array of experts, dignitaries and friends of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, including Hugo Vickers and Andrew Morton to name a few.
Lorraine will also host guests every day that week covering different aspects of the celebration, including Lady Glenconner who was Maid of Honour at the Queen’s Coronation ceremony.
On Friday’s show, the day before the event, Lorraine will dedicate the entire programme to Coronation content including the best food for Coronation street parties to the most fashionable party looks.
Two of ITV’s most iconic shows will join forces for a very special programme on Friday 5th May.
This Morning and the network’s longest-running soap, Coronation Street will come together for a live 150-minute episode of This Morning, presented by Friday hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary from the iconic Weatherfield.
Continuing the festivities on ITV1 and ITVX on Friday 5th May, Loose Women will put on a celebration fit for a King from 12.30pm - as the studio is transformed into a great British garden party.
The live studio audience will be invited to take part in a green-themed royal knees up, in honour of His Majesty The King.
The panel will be dressed to impress for the occasion and joined by Royal super-fans and showbiz guests alike throughout the episode to honour the Coronation.
On Saturday 6th May from 6am Good Morning Britain will usher viewers into a weekend of programming, with a one-off special episode in celebration of the upcoming Coronation.
Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard will be live from Westminster Abbey, Ranvir Singh will be outside the Abbey speaking to guests as they arrive, Kate Garraway will be live from Buckingham Palace, Charlotte Hawkins will be with the Armed Forces and Laura Tobin will be live from the Long Walk in Windsor.
Special guests that day will include Mel B and Jonathan Dimbleby amongst others.
Both GMB and This Morning’s Coronation specials will also be available via Britbox International in the US, Australia, South Africa and the Nordics.
From 8.30am, ITV1 will air a special ITV News programme King Charles III: The Coronation. Presented by Julie Etchingham and Tom Bradby, the programme will broadcast live from a special studio outside of Buckingham Palace, with commentary from Mary Nightingale outside Westminster Abbey and James Mates who during the service, will explain the ancient traditions and rituals shown on screen.
Throughout the programme, presenters will be joined by guests and commentators, including friends of the royal family.
In addition to the rolling coverage on Saturday 6th May, which will be available to livestream through ITVX, on ITVX there will also be an hour-long highlights show that will be available that evening, as well as additional bespoke content and explainers on the ITVX ITV News rail and the ITV News website.
In a dedicated rail on ITVX during the week leading up to the Coronation, viewers will be able to see documentaries from ITV’s catalogue including Charles: 50 years a Prince, Charles: Our New King, Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall, Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, Camilla's Country Life and The Queen's Coronation in Colour.
On Monday 8th May Loose Women will host an extended 75-minute show for the Coronation Bank Holiday.
Michael Jermey, ITV's Director of News and Current Affairs, said "ITV's uninterrupted coverage on Coronation Day will capture every significant moment of an historically important event.
"We will provide viewers with a close up view of all the pageantry and public celebration. Our guests will reflect a range of views on what the new reign will mean for Britain and the Commonwealth."
Emma Gormley, Managing Director ITV Daytime said, “The Coronation of HM King Charles III is a once-in-a-lifetime television event and here at ITV Daytime we’re producing many hours of bespoke content, as well as special stand alone shows, to celebrate and commemorate this historical occasion with our audience, both at home and globally.”
ITV News, and ITV Daytime weekdays from 6am on ITV1 & ITVX.
