BritBox To Simulcast Star-Studded Jubilee Celebration
The Queen's Jubilee doesn't officially take place until the weekend of June 2, 2022, the 70th anniversary of her coronation. But that hasn't stopped the U.K. from celebrating ever since Feb. 6 hit, the day Elizabeth II ascended the throne. It's like mattress sales in the U.S., find a holiday, and they will come. The official TV specials first started at the beginning of May, with The Reunion: The Silver Jubilee, with a retrospective of the last time the U.K. went all out for the Queen in the 1970s, ironically also the last time its coffers could least afford it.
But those sorts of naval-gazing retrospectives don't make it to this side of the pond. Like PBS and Masterpiece, anglophilic dedicated streamers only aim to bring the best of the stuff happening, the significant star-studded events that give one a sense of FOMO bad enough to perhaps VPN yourself a working iPlayer. Thankfully, only the most hardcore will have to do that, as BritBox will be simulcasting at least one topline broadcast (and probably others, though once again, those announcements will probably come last minute.) The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration, which airs this Sunday, May 15, will also air on BritBox, letting Americans and ex-pats check out the star-studded celebrations.
Of all the streamers, BritBox was the most likely candidate to bring this over; it's the same one who also simulcasts the Queen's Christmas Speech and the holiday celebrations Live from Kings. Sadly, it will not bring us The Queens Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking, the GBBO knock off the BBC created for this occasion which airs tonight. (It's going up against the Eurovision Semi-Finals and will probably win.) Thankfully, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration airs on Sunday, May 15, the day after the Eurovision Grand Final, making it a euro-centric weekend for fans.
So who can fans expect to see turn up for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration? Here's a synopsis
Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham will host the live broadcast The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration which will feature guests as they pay tribute to The Queen’s remarkable 70 years of service. The theatrical arena event will include 1300 performers and 500 horses and is made up of four acts, each overseen by a different event host- confirmed to be Tom Cruise, Damian Lewis, Adjoa Andoh, and Alan Titchmarsh respectively. The Celebration will take viewers on a gallop through history, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I through to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, culminating in a grand finale.
Yes, America Tom Cruise is showing up; take that as you will. Along with Lewis, Andoh, and Titchmarsh, other confirmed guests include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ant & Dec, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Maureen Lipman, Sir David Jason, Dame Kelly Holmes, Moira Stuart, and Sir Trevor McDonald. Keala Settle, Gregory Porter, and Katherine Jenkins are all scheduled to perform. Dame Helen Mirren will reprise the role of Queen Elizabeth I, which she last played in the HBO miniseries of the same name, while a cast of ‘Queen’s Players’ will be introduced by a character called The Herald played by Omid Djalili.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration will stream live on Britbox on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. BST).
