Canadians will be able to watch a full slate of programming commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee beginning Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 5, across CBC, CBC Gem, Vision TV, BBC First and CPAC.
Specials include live coverage from London of the Trooping the Colour and A Service of Thanksgiving, as well as recent BBC specials Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking and Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen.
The one Jubilee special that Canadians may not have full access to is the highly anticipated Platinum Party at the Palace which will see Queen + Adam Lambert, Hans Zimmer, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Nile Rodgers, Elton John, and Diana Ross perform at Buckingham Palace. The two-and-a-half-hour concert will be broadcast on BBC in the U.K. at 7:30 p.m. GMT. Update: Canadians will be able to watch the concert when it airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. CBC News Network will have highlights from the evening showcase with Heather Hiscox reporting from London.
Here is a roundup of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee specials and how to watch them in Canada:
The Queen’s Jubilee: Trooping the Colour
Airs on Thursday, June 2 from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. ET on CBC, CBC News Network and CBC Gem
Hosted by Adrienne Arsenault from Buckingham Palace for CBC News, the Platinum Jubilee edition of the annual parade takes place on Horse Guards Parade in St. James’s Park. It will feature more than 1,200 officers and soldiers, hundreds of army musicians and around 240 horses, as well as a royal gun salute.
This year, the 1st Battalion Irish Guards will troop their colour on Horse Guards Parade to celebrate the official birthday of HM the Queen. The morning’s events culminate with the annual appearance of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a special jubilee flypast to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking
Begins streaming on Thursday, June 2 on CBC Gem
To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, in recognition of her becoming the first British Monarch to serve for 70 years, enthusiastic British home bakers entered a competition to find a brand-new recipe to mark the occasion.
This hour-long one-hour celebratory special charts the competition as five exceptional bakers create extraordinary, original and celebratory cakes, tarts or puddings fit for The Queen. Following in the footsteps of the Coronation Chicken and the Victoria Sponge, this winning recipe will go down in history and become part of the British food story. Up and down the country on Jubilee weekend the winning recipe will be recreated at street parties, family events, community gatherings and Big Jubilee Lunches as the centrepiece to the nation’s celebrations as the Platinum Pudding. Originally aired on BBC One on May 12, 2022.
Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen
Airs Thursday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET on Vision TV and Friday at 8 p.m. ET on BBC First
A rare look at the early years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, using previously unseen royal archives including the Queen’s home movies.
We all know who the Queen is today, but who was she before she was called upon to be the monarch 70 years ago? What was the world like that she left behind, and how did she build a new life for herself and her family behind palace doors? Using archive footage that has never been seen before, this immersive and visually rich documentary reveals the other side to the monarch – a relaxed, family-orientated Queen. Until now, the thousands of hours of footage have been kept private, but to mark the Platinum Jubilee, access has been granted to an extensive collection of more than 400 reels – a filmic treasure trove. Originally aired on BBC One on May 28, 2022.
The Queen’s Jubilee: A Service of Thanksgiving
Airs Friday, June 3 from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on CBC, CBC News Network and CBC Gem
Hosted by Adrienne Arsenault from Buckingham Palace for CBC News, the service will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral and include the ringing of Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country. Members of the Royal Family, along with representatives from across the Commonwealth, will attend.
The Queen and Canada
Begins streaming Friday, June 3 on CBC Gem; Airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CBC News Network, and Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on CBC
As the largest country in the commonwealth, is Canada duty or devotion for the Queen? CBC News’ Adrienne Arsenault sets out to answer that question in this documentary examining the deep connection and sometimes complicated relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Canada. Featuring interviews with high-profile and everyday Canadians that have had close and personal encounters with the Queen, the film also includes extensive rarely seen archival video, never-before-told stories, and exclusive access inside Windsor Castle, the Queen’s permanent residence.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on BBC First
BBC First will broadcast a series of specials including:
- Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen on Friday, June 3 at 8 p.m. ET
- 2017’s Elizabeth and Philip: Love and Duty on Friday, June 3 at 1 p.m. ET (and will rebroadcast on Friday at 9:40 p.m., Saturday at 10:20 a.m. & 5 p.m.)
- The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, June 3 at 11 p.m. ET (and will rebroadcast on Saturday at 4 p.m. & 8:20 p.m.)
- Our Queen on Saturday, June 4 at 12 a.m. ET (and will be rebroadcast at 11:30 a.m.)
- The Queen at 90 on Saturday, June 4 at 1 a.m. ET
- The 2006 film The Queen on Saturday, June 4 at 1 p.m. ET (and will be rebroadcast at 9:20 p.m.)
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on CPAC
The Cable Public Affairs Channel will air the following documentaries on Saturday, June 5: The Queen at 90 (7 p.m. ET), A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales at 8:30 p.m. ET, and Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at 9:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, June 5, CPAC will re-broadcast the Trooping of the Colour at 12 p.m. ET, Service of Thanksgiving at 2:30 p.m. ET and will also air the documentary Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen at 9 p.m. ET.
Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration on BritBox
If you missed The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration live on May 15, BritBox is still streaming the special which features Dame Helen Mirren, Damian Lewis and Tom Cruise that celebrates the Queen’s 70 years of service at Windsor Castle which included 1,300 performers and 500 horses.
