‘A cut above most backward looking royal docs’ The Guardian | ★★★★ Radio Times
25 years ago, on 20th November 1995, BBC Panorama broadcast the television scoop of the century: an interview with Princess Diana in which she candidly opened up to Martin Bashir about her marriage to Prince Charles and her life as a member of the British royal family.
A staggering 22.8 million people in Britain and a huge worldwide audience tuned in to watch as the Princess broke every rule of royal protocol. It was one of the most memorable moments in television history – a programme which split the higher ranks of the BBC and threatened to bring down the monarchy.
The feature-documentary makes a series of new revelations about how the interview came to be, why the Princess chose Martin Bashir as confessor, and, for the first time will also uncover sections of the interview the programme-makers decided to edit out. The documentary will also reveal shocking never-before heard private comments The Queen made about what she really thought about the interview.
Rogan Productions’ award-winning films speak for themselves, and I am thrilled they are producing this project for Channel 5. This is an incredibly compelling and empowering film, looking back at this iconic interview 25 years on, and shining a light on revelations that have never been uncovered before. Daniel Pearl – Commissioning Editor
This is an iconic moment, not just in the history of British television but in the story of how our social attitudes have developed over the last 25 years. It’s been utterly fascinating to investigate the real story behind the interview: the Princess’s motivations and machinations behind it and the skulduggery it involved, as well as the extraordinary impact it had on the country.
Mark Hedgecoe, Executive Producer
Credits
Director Edward McGown
Executive Producer Mark Hedgecoe, James Rogan, Soleta Rogan
Commissioning Editor Daniel Pearl
Sales
International Distribution: Abacus Media Rights
Contact: Hana Palmer hana@abacusmediarights.com
Broadcast Details
This programme will be broadcast on:
Sunday 11th October 2020 at 9pm on Channel 5
Watch it on My5.
Articles about the film
Queen’s astonishing attack on Diana and that ‘frightful thing’ she did
The Queen described Diana’s sensational Panorama interview with Martin Bashir as that “frightful thing that my daughter-in-law did,” a new TV film will claim. The revelation comes from former BBC governor Sir Richard Eyre in a documentary… Diana: The Interview That Shocked The World tells the story of how Bashir, a virtually unknown journalist, landed the interview of the century in 1995. read more
Queen described Princess Diana’s explosive Panorama interview opening up on her marriage to Charles as ‘a frightful thing to do’, new documentary reveals
The Queen described Princess Diana’s explosive interview on Panorama as a ‘frightful thing’ to have done, a new documentary reveals. Her Majesty made her feelings clear over lunch with Sir Richard Eyre, former director of the National Theatre, shortly after the 1995 broadcast .. read more
