BBC announces coverage for the Royal Wedding across TV and radio

• BBC One live coverage presenters confirmed as Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, Dermot O'Leary, Tina Daheley, Alex Jones, Ore Oduba and Anita Rani
• Kicking off the weekend will be live Friday night look-ahead show The Royal Wedding: They’re Getting Married In The Morning with Kirsty, Huw and Dermot
• Chris Evans leads coverage for BBC Radio 2 together with special editions of Radio 4’s Today programme and BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast all broadcast live from Windsor

Leading the coverage for BBC One will be presenting team Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards, Dermot O’Leary, Tina Daheley, Alex Jones, Ore Oduba and Anita Rani.

On the morning of the wedding, Kirsty and Dermot will be based by the moat outside Windsor Castle, while Huw will be on the roof of the Guard Room within the walls of Windsor Castle. Both locations place the BBC at the very heart of proceedings with views of the Castle and the gathering crowds. The three presenters will capture the build-up and anticipation of the ceremony and the atmosphere in Windsor as thousands arrive to get the best vantage point. Specially-invited guests will share memories of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and there will be insight and analysis from Royal and fashion experts.

Tina, Alex, Ore and Anita will be situated around Windsor to capture the stories, excitement and reactions of the day. They will chat to wedding guests as they enter the Chapel, meet some of those lucky enough to have a ticket and talk to people who have come to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom’s carriage procession.

Kirsty Young says: "They're a couple who seem to have captured the goodwill of the world. Yet at the heart of this national event is a very personal, modern day love story. It looks set to be a royal wedding like no other and I’m very pleased indeed to be part of the BBC One team sharing it with the nation."

Huw Edwards says: "I'm thrilled to be part of the presenting team for the Royal Wedding celebrations. It's always great to get out from behind the news desk, and with this live day of coverage we’ll be bringing BBC viewers the latest from Windsor as the excitement builds throughout the day."

Dermot O’Leary says: "I am delighted and honoured to be covering the Royal Wedding for the BBC. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Harry several times in my career, and look forward to celebrating what I’m sure will be a very special day for millions around the world."

Tina Daheley says: "I'm delighted to be involved with the Royal Wedding. It’s great to have a moment in 2018 where the country can come together to celebrate something positive. Having recently spent some time with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hosting the Royal Foundation Forum, I’m pretty certain we can expect a few surprises!"

Alex Jones says: "Having been lucky enough to have been part of the BBC team that covered William and Kate’s wedding, it’s a real honour to have been asked again to cover Harry and Meghan’s special day. I jumped for joy when the phone call came!"

Ore Oduba says: "It's fair to say Royal Wedding excitement has reached fever pitch in our house - bunting close to bursting point, I’ve been eating breakfast off Harry and Meghan commemorative plates for months! We all love a wedding, especially a royal one. And with Prince Harry as the groom it’s guaranteed to be one helluva party! It’s an honour to be a part of such a special national celebration and I can’t wait to capture those moments that the happy couple - and an audience of billions - will never forget”.

Anita Rani says: "What an honour to be part of the presenting team for the Royal Wedding. I was lucky enough to be part of William and Kate’s wedding and can’t wait to celebrate the union of Meghan and Harry. It’s going to be a wonderful, joy-filled day."

The BBC will also bring its live coverage of the Royal Wedding ceremony direct to the nation with big screens situated throughout the UK, including in Belfast, Salisbury, Leeds, Swansea, Winchester and Portsmouth, allowing communities to come together and share in the big day.

The coverage, The Royal Wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, produced by BBC Studios Events will air on BBC One and BBC One HD on Saturday 19 May, 9am-2pm. The live broadcast will also be shown on the BBC News Channel and streamed live on BBC iPlayer.

Later in the evening, BBC Two will look back on the day with live programme, The Royal Wedding: Highlights of the Day on Saturday 19 May, 6.30-8pm.

Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content, says: "BBC One will be at the very heart of the Royal Wedding coverage, bringing the nation together to share and celebrate this special occasion. It is a real honour for the BBC to be the host broadcaster for the ceremony and with such an exceptional line-up of presenters on BBC One it promises to be an exciting and memorable moment for everyone tuning in."

Kick-starting the weekend coverage on Friday night will be The Royal Wedding: They’re Getting Married In The Morning; a live look-ahead programme on BBC One from 7-8pm. Kirsty, Huw and Dermot will bring the latest news on the eve of the big day. This celebratory show will gather a mix of guests from around the world and hear from people playing key roles in the wedding - how they have prepared for the day and any last minute preparations. The programme will look at how the world’s media are getting ready for the broadcast of the year and hear from people already in Windsor awaiting the big day.

Social media users will be invited to join in with @BBCOne - contributing messages of congratulations for the couple, sharing how they might be celebrating the event and even memories of their own big day. In each of the BBC’s three live programmes, the presenters will take a look at the messages, photos and videos coming in as the nation joins together to celebrate.

BBC Breakfast will be waking up the nation live from Windsor on Saturday 19 May. The eyes of the world will be watching as Carol Kirkwood gives the all-important weather forecast for the day, and Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt will be building up to the big event with special reports and features. They will chat to experts, meet seasoned Royal watchers, and mingle with guests from both sides of the Atlantic as excitement builds towards the start of the official ceremony.

In the week leading up to the wedding, BBC One Daytime series Royal Recipes will see presenter Michael Buerk and chefs Anna Haugh and Paul Ainsworth mark the forthcoming wedding by recreating Royal Wedding dishes past and present. There will also be another chance to watch Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s engagement interview with Mishal Husain on BBC One on Tuesday 8 May, 11.40pm-midnight, and on BBC iPlayer.

MH2

TV

Harry and Meghan: The Interview
BBC One, Tuesday 8 May, 11.40pm-midnight

In this revealing interview given at Kensington Palace on the day their engagement was announced (27 November 2017), Prince Harry and Meghan Markle speak to the BBC’s Mishal Husain.

They share personal details of how their romance began with a blind date; the night Prince Harry proposed over roast chicken; the intimate details behind the design of the engagement ring; as well as Meghan Markle’s first experiences meeting members of the Royal Family.

Royal Recipes
BBC One, from Monday 14 May

Presenter Michael Buerk and chefs Anna Haugh and Paul Ainsworth will be marking the forthcoming wedding with a special series of Royal Recipes, which broadcasts on BBC One Daytime. As well as recreating Royal Wedding dishes past and present, the chefs will go behind the scenes at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in the run-up to the big day. The programme will explore the history of royal courtship and marriage, and Michael will hear from experts who help to put the finishing touches to a Royal Wedding.

The Royal Wedding: They’re Getting Married In The Morning
BBC One, Friday 18 May, 7-8pm

BBC Breakfast
BBC One, Saturday 19 May, 6-9am

The Royal Wedding: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle
BBC One, Saturday 19 May, 9am-2pm

The Royal Wedding: Highlights Of The Day
BBC Two, Saturday 19 May, 6.30-8pm

Radio

BBC Radio 1 will be covering events on Newsbeat and in addition Scarlett Moffatt will be the royal correspondent for BBC Radio 1, reporting into the daytime shows every hour live from Windsor Castle.

BBC Radio 2’s coverage will be led by Chris Evans, who will be celebrating with a special show and surprise guests between 8-11.30am, soaking up the mood and atmosphere in Windsor.

Alan Carr and Mel Sykes return to Radio 2 between 11.30am - 1pm on Royal Wedding Day with a confetti-filled programme full of great music, nuptial shout-outs and a bouquet brimming with listeners’ texts and emails.

To celebrate the Royal Wedding on 19 May, Paul Gambaccini will be presenting a special edition of Pick Of The Pops from 1-3pm that will feature hits from the two years in the early 1980s in which Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were born. Expect to hear charts hits from Bucks Fizz, Madness, The Jacksons, Kim Wilde, The Human League, Deniece Williams, Queen and Phil Collins.

From 3-6pm, Zoe Ball will be rummaging through her record collection for a Wedding themed Saturday afternoon playing party tunes from artists such as Kool and the Gang, Sister Sledge, Chic and Pharrell Williams.

BBC Radio 3 will highlight the music of the Royal Wedding, including in Saturday Breakfast, while a special Words and Music on Sunday 20 May will present a series of poetry, prose and music on a wedding theme. The programme will feature some of the timeless music inspired by the wedding ceremony, including the famous wedding marches by Wagner and Mendelssohn, while actors Anna Maxwell Martin and Jamie Glover read work which explores the enduring romance of wedded bliss and the darker moments of married life.

BBC Radio 4’s Today programme will broadcast a special programme with Mishal Husain presenting live from Windsor ahead of the celebrations.

BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast will also come from Windsor, with host Rachel Burden taking listeners to the heart of the celebrations and hearing about festivities around the country. And Nihal Arthanayake joins the team for a special mid-morning show from 10am.

Claire Balding will host live commentary from Windsor Castle on BBC Radio 4 (11.30am-1pm), Radio 5 live (11.30am-1pm) and the World Service (from midday-1pm) with coverage of the wedding procession continuing on 5 live (until 2pm). In addition Eleanor Oldroyd will be commentating on the service from St George’s Chapel and Gemma Cairney will be speaking to invited guests from inside the castle. Clare Balding will also be joined by royal correspondent Jonny Dymond and by presenters on the route of the procession including Jane Garvey, Paddy O’Connell, Aasmah Mir, Rachel Burden, Alistair Bruce-Ball and Julian Worricker.

Asian Network will feature updates throughout the day on Asian Network News as well as live reports from Anisa Kadri on the Raj and Pablo show.

Global services

BBC World Service will bring live coverage of the day’s celebrations to listeners across the globe, and will also air programmes and documentaries exploring the institution of marriage today from a variety of angles in different countries around the world.

BBC World News will have three days of live coverage from Windsor Castle ahead of the Royal Wedding with presenters on location, including Katty Kay over from DC, Babita Sharma and Lucy Hockings. There will be a camera in the crowd outside the castle, catching the mood of the public and international visitors. Programmes will include special films and colour features from across the UK and from the US, including Meghan Markle’s home town of LA, as well as from other locations around the world linked to the couple. On the day, BBC World News will show the BBC’s main Royal Wedding programme of the marriage itself for approximately four hours, 10am-4pm (GMT), with live coverage before and after.

TV Licensing

The BBC is offering a special one-off dispensation to mark the Royal Wedding on Saturday 19 May 2018. This dispensation allows those organising special events and parties in town halls, community centres and streets across Britain, where TV is not usually watched, to screen the event live without needing to purchase a licence. The dispensation will also apply to shops and events such as agricultural shows.

Related Media Centre Links

• BBC offers a special licence fee dispensation to mark the Royal Wedding