Channel 4 to reveal the truth behind The Queen's Big Night Out (w/t)

10 April 2015

The night of 8 May 1945 changed Britain forever. As VE Day was declared and the streets of London erupted in wild celebration, the future Queen, Princess Elizabeth, and her sister Margaret slipped out of Buckingham Palace in secret to celebrate with the public as they enjoyed the party to end all parties, across the hotels, nightclubs and restaurants of the West End.

This new film from Channel 4 will, for the first time, reveal the truth behind that extraordinary night.

With never-before-seen interviews from those who joined the Queen on her big night out, this film tells the amazing untold story of the princesses’ secret journey through a riotous West End, as it unfolded, hour by hour.

Featuring interviews with the Queen’s cousin Margaret Rhodes, Baroness Trumpington, and lady-in-waiting Jean Woodroffe who joined the princesses as they left the palace and formed a conga line to dance to the Ritz, the film also interviews the barmen and door staff who were on duty that night as the Princesses tried to enjoy their evening incognito.

It was a night that proved to be pivotal for the princesses’ future.

For Elizabeth, this was a last night of freedom before she gave herself to the duties of her role.

For Margaret, this was a night out alongside the man with whom she would go on to have a doomed affair – Group Captain Peter Townsend.

In a far cry from the well-known newsreel footage, the film tells the story of a wild abandon that took hold across London that night. This is a story of the unbridled hedonism of a city exhilarated by the end of war and the freedom of possibility. 

 

1 x 60’ from Blast! Films for Channel 4

Director: Michael Wadding
Producer: Celine Fitzmaurice

Executive Producer: Alistair Pegg
Commissioned for Channel 4 by Rob Coldstream