This BBC series is to be broadcast nationally on Channel 9 on Monday evenings at 730PM. The first programe, on Monday, 13 August, 2007 will feature a banquet for the President of France.
RDF Television Documentaries describes the series in the following words. “For the best part of a millennium, Windsor Castle has been at the heart of the national story, the awesome fortress, family home, treasure chest and burial ground for the Royal dynasty who went on to take its name. But there is another, unseen side to the Castle which the tourists never see. It is the real Windsor – home, workplace, playground and paradise. And a new television show is to explore this hidden world in all its glory. This year, for the first time ever, Windsor has opened its doors to an observational documentary team with the full approval of the Queen. The cameras are chronicling a year in the life of the world's largest inhabited castle to produce a spectacular landmark for BBC1. “We go behind the scenes to meet not only the Royal family but also some of their four hundred staff at work – from the Queen's housekeeper to her grooms, fender smiths and flag men, picture restorers, military knights and priests: all who live and work within the Castle's nine hundred rooms…Windsor Castle's ‘back garden’ is the 15,000 acre Great Park; together they play host to a unique collection of events – the pageantry of Garter Day, the glamour of Cartier Polo and the tradition of Royal Ascot. November sees the Castle thrown into the international spotlight when President and Madame Chirac spent two days at the Castle, attending an official State Dinner and even an abridged version of Les Miserables, organised by the Queen in the Waterloo Room (renamed the Music Room for that one night!). For all these events and activities, both big and small, our cameras were there with unique access following the people who made them happen.
“The Queen and Prince Philip spend most weekends of the year at Windsor. Throughout the series we explain why the Queen loves Windsor so much, using exclusive interviews with the Prince Philip to explain how a young Royal couple made Windsor a family home for their four children, even installing a solar powered swimming pool in the Georgian Orangery. We see the young Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie watching their cousin Prince Harry playing polo. Throughout the three hours we are accompanied by our guide, the Ranger of Windsor Great Park; and whether on the polo field, in the private Windsor Chapel or through the vast Crown Estate we take the viewer on a journey that no tourist has ever seen. Since the Ranger happens to be the Duke of Edinburgh – the longest serving Ranger in history – we are in good company! “
And the reviews? 'An entertaining account of this bizarre and quite possibly unfinished metamorphosis,' Sunday Times. 'A stunning documentary,' Radio 5. 'A fascinating insight into what it's like to call Windsor home and the Queen your boss. Compelling Stuff,' Time Out. 'The Queen's Castle is a beautifully shot, fascinating glimpse into life behind the scenes at Windsor,' The Sun. 'An old-fashioned BBC classic,' The Sunday Mail. 'Everyone is a distinct character who speaks on camera with a freedom you might think checked when in the employ of a monarch. It's fun TV, even if you don't read the Daily Mail,' Time Out. 'A gentle yet insightful antidote to the cut and thrust of the modern fly-on-the-wall documentary,' The Daily Mail 'Priceless,' The Radio Times. RTS Craft & Design AwardsNominated Lighting, Photography & Camera Photography 2004/2005. Format:3 x 60′