Five days of coverage on TV, online, on iPad, on mobile, on radio

TX: From Friday 1st June to Tuesday 5^th June 2012.

Jubilee highlights programmes will run on Sunday 3^rd June and Tuesday 5^th June from 20:00 – 21:00

London, Friday 18 May 2012:  As the Commonwealth marks the 60^th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, Sky News will have a front row seat at all the key events across the Jubilee weekend. Sky News will ensure all the regal glory of the occasion is delivered to viewers across multiple platforms, enabling them to join in with the celebrations wherever they are.

Friday 1^st June:  Kicking off Sky News’ coverage, Jeremy Thompson will present live from Buckingham Palace in the build up to the main events.  Sky News will have reporters in position as the ships amass for the flotilla around West India Dock, and as the crowds gather in Putney and along the Thames.

Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad will have detailed information on the long weekend’s events and will tell viewers how and where to watch the celebrations in London and around the country.

Saturday 2nd June: Sky News’ Royal Correspondent Paul Harrison will be at Epsom Racecourse throughout the day as the Queen attends the Derby.  Sky News will continue its presentation from Buckingham Palace with Anna Botting and Colin Brazier, until it moves to Putney in the evening with Andrew Wilson.  Sky News’ Royal, Religious and National Events Commentator Alastair Bruce OBE, will be on hand throughout the weekend to give expert commentary on the ceremonial and historical aspects of the celebrations.

During the weekend Sky News for iPad will show all the highlights of the live events, with twitter commentary from Sky News reporters at key locations as well as interactive graphics. The app will also host a series of image galleries looking back at the 60 years of The Queen’s reign. On skynews.com commentators including Alastair Bruce will give analysis on the significance of this royal occasion and the economic and social differences between 1952 and 2012.

Sunday 3rd June: As a flotilla of 1000 boats makes its way down the Thames led by the Queen in the Royal Barge, Eamonn Holmes, Sarah Hewson and Charlotte Hawkins will be presenting from the heart of the action outside City Hall.  Kay Burley will be among the crowds gathering on the riverside, Andrew Wilson will be on board the specially commissioned Sky News boat, Lorna Dunkley will be in Battersea Park, Colin Brazier at Westminster Bridge and Paul Harrison will be on board Tenacious, a tall ship moored in the Avenue of Sail.

With street parties being held around the UK Sky News’ regional correspondents will look at the celebrations outside the capital.

At 20:00 there will be special highlights programme looking back at the day’s events.

Sky News for iPad will have an interactive satellite map of the river route with facts about key locations, and 360 degree images. There will also be information generating graphics on the jubilee flotilla with extra detail on the Queen’s Barge. On skynews.com there will also be an interactive river route map, showing spectators key points to see the flotilla as well as links to historical and royal locations along the Thames. Sky News Correspondents will be pulling in user generated content and comments from spectators along the route, as well as those around the rest of the country. The website will also be asking viewers for their pictures for a special ‘Your Diamond Jubilee’ feature.

Monday 4^th June: Paul Harrison will be spending the day in Buckingham Palace Gardens as the Queen hosts a garden party, and in the evening as the Diamond Jubilee Concert gets underway, Sky News’ Arts and Entertainment Correspondent Lucy Cotter will be live from The Mall.  Later on in the evening a network of more than 3000 beacons will be lit throughout the UK and the Commonwealth.  The Queen will light the last Beacon at Buckingham Palace at 22:30 with Kay Burley presenting live from the scene.

Sky News for iPad will host information generating graphics on the jubilee beacons, and skynews.com will have a photo gallery showing the beacons being set off across the country.

Tuesday 5^th June:  The Jubilee weekend will culminate with a day of celebrations in London. The presenting trio of Eamonn Holmes, Sarah Hewson and Charlotte Hawkins will guide us through the day’s events from the Palace, with a perfect view of the royal family balcony appearance and flypast.  Kay Burley will be at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the Service of Thanksgiving, and Gillian Joseph, Adam Boulton and Dermot Murnaghan will be covering the carriage procession through the streets of London from various London landmarks.

At 20:00 there will be a special highlights programme looking back at the day’s events.

Sky News for iPad will host exclusive video, which will include Alistair Bruce on the significance of St Paul’s Cathedral to the Royal Family and Sky News’ Media and Technology Correspondent Katie Stallard examining the ways the Queen has used technology to communicate with the public throughout her reign. The app will also have an interactive satellite map of the route from St Paul’s to Buckingham Palace with images and information on key locations.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Charlotte Reed via charlotte.reed@bskyb.com or 07920 027829