Channel 4 to be official broadcast partner for Richard III reinterment

• Reburial and memorial service to be shown live exclusively by Channel 4

• Series of programmes to accompany live broadcast, exploring the history of Richard’s reign and the journey of his body from rediscovery under a council car park to reburial in Leicester Cathedral

Channel 4 has today been announced as the official broadcast partner for the reinterment of Richard III, working with the Leicester Cathedral , University of Leicester and Leicester City Council.   

It will broadcast live the moment when the king’s body is finally laid to rest in Leicester Cathedral as part of a series of programmes surrounding this extraordinary event. The reburial, due to take place in early 2015, is the culmination of an incredible story following the discovery, under a council car park opposite the Cathedral in Leicester, of the remains of this last English king to die in battle.

Richard’s reburial will take place over several days.  Following a procession from the University of Leicester to the cathedral via a public route that will reflect the movements of his final days, he will lie at rest in the cathedral and the public will be given the opportunity to visit and pay their respects to this one-time anointed king.  Then, in a unique reburial service, he will be formally reinterred in a specially-constructed tomb in front of the cathedral altar.

Channel 4 will be the only national broadcaster to relay the service live. It has also been filming  the extensive work undertaken behind the scenes by Leicester Cathedral and the entire City of Leicester for the reburial, and will broadcast this as part of the programming around the event. The reinterment itself promises to be a unique service, involving medieval reinterment rites whilst also appealing to a modern 21st century global audience.  

This service will include prayers in memory both of Richard and of all who died at Bosworth and in warfare. The coffin will be lowered below ground into the specially designed tomb, in a place within the Cathedral closely corresponding to where he was placed in the Greyfriars monastery over five centuries ago.  The massive stone tomb cover, inscribed with a cross, will face towards the Cathedral’s magnificent east window depicting Christ the King.

The programming will feature historians and royal experts as well as representatives of the City of Leicester, the University of Leicester team which carried out the dig, the Looking for Richard project who originated the search and the Richard III Society. It will also look at the history of Richard’s reign and the impact of the discovery on the people of Leicester.

Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt says: “We’re proud to be the only broadcaster who committed to this extraordinary story from the very start and we’re delighted to be able to see that story through to its conclusion with the broadcast of this remarkable international event.”

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor John Hay has commissioned the programmes from DSP – the same production team who followed the search for the burial place of Richard III for more than two years. They filmed the dig in September 2012 and have had exclusive access to the extensive scientific testing carried out since then.  Their award-winning film, Richard III: The King in the Car Park was broadcast on Channel 4 the evening of the day his discovery was announced. Together with a follow-up documentary on More4, Richard III: The Unseen Story the films have attracted in excess of seven million viewers to date.

This summer, Channel 4 will broadcast another DSP - made film about Richard III following the work of scientists at the University of Leicester and beyond who have continued to subject Richard’s skeleton to intense scrutiny. Their findings have reassembled the lost king’s life in fascinating detail – revealing the extent to which his scoliosis would have affected him - and in this film they will be revealed for the first time.

Simon Young, the Executive Producer for Darlow Smithson, says: “In all the excitement surrounding this discovery – and the enormous publicity it has generated – it is important to remember the human being at its heart. Richard III was the last English King to lead his soldiers into battle. He put his life on the line for his kingdom and it is fitting that he should now be laid to rest with all the dignity and respect that this sacrifice deserves. It is an honour to be part of this unique national event.”

For press enquiries about the Channel 4 programming please contact: Marion Bentley, Group Publicity Manager - Factual

For enquiries about the reinterment please contact: Director of Communications, Diocese of Leicester, liz.hudson@leccofe.org, 0116 261 5302

Notes to Editors

• The reinterment will be shown live only on Channel 4 in the UK but footage will be provided simultaneously to international broadcasters for transmission globally. Footage will then be made available to all UK news outlets after the Channel 4 broadcast.