The Palace Gates open for Royalty Close Up

Tuesday 18 June 2013

The Palace Gates open for Royalty Close Up

4 x 30’ series coming to Sky Arts 1 HD in July

 

Following the success of ROCK 'N ROLL EXPOSED and CELEBRITY EXPOSED which are now being aired across 18 countries by HBO, award-winning filmmaker Don Letts explores the life and work of Kent Gavin in ROYALTY CLOSE UP.

Having worked as the Royal Photographer for the Daily Mirror for over forty years, Kent Gavin has had unprecedented access to the Royal Family. From covering hundreds of public engagements, to being only one of two photographers asked by The Prince and Princess of Wales to photograph Prince William’s christening, to being invited aboard the Royal Barge for last year’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, Gavin has a wealth of images documenting public and private moments in the family’s history. For the first time ever, Gavin opens up his collection to reveal some of the most intimate moments he has shared throughout his career.

ROYALTY CLOSE UP is a 4 x 30-minute documentary series providing a rare glimpse beyond the constraints of the Palace walls and uncovers the stories behind some of the most talked about photographs of all time. Alongside an interview with Gavin, the series features a host of interviewees including Piers Morgan, Sir Michael Parkinson, Anne Robinson and many more revealing the stories behind the snaps and celebrating the most famous family of them all.

Kent Gavin says: “Royalty Close Up is a brilliant insight into my career as a photojournalist. Photographing the Royal Family has been an honour, and it has been privilege to witness a part of the history of The Royal Family and the changes that have taken place over the last forty years.”

The opening film in the series reveals Gavin's half-a-century spent photographing Her Majesty The Queen. From Royal Tours abroad, to magical moments at Buckingham Palace and rare glimpses of emotion at Westminster Abbey, this jewel in the crown of Royal photography has captured it all.

ROYALTY CLOSE UP is produced by Brassneck TV and is executive produced by John Osborne for Brassneck TV and Chris Wilson for Sky.

ROYALTY CLOSE UP will begin on Thursday 4th July, 9.30pm on Sky Arts 1 HD and Sky Go.


ENDS

 

For further information please contact:

Annabel Rudden

Publicist, Sky 1 and Sky Arts 

T: +44 (0)20 7032 6845

M: +44 (0)7901 008 196

annabel.rudden@bskyb.com

 

www.skypressoffice.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter @skyarts

For images visit www.image.net or email StillsDepartment@bskyb.com

NOTES TO EDITOR

About Sky

Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company. Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.

Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.3 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News.   Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.

Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator. Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D.

Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi. NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV. Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone.

Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sport, opening up the arts to more people and raising the aspiration of young people in schools. Sky employs 23,500 people, has annual revenues of £6.8 billion and is estimated to support a £5.4 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY). 

About Sky Arts

Sky Arts offers an eclectic mix of the best music, arts, biographies, chat shows, film, drama and comedy. Sky is the only broadcaster in the UK and Ireland with channels dedicated solely to the arts, with 48 hours of the best arts content from around the world across Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 daily. Sky Arts now reaches more than 6 million viewers every month. Recent highlights include Playhouse Presents… a series of one-off comedies and dramas starring world-renowned talent including Jon Hamm, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Thompson, Sir Tom Jones, Brenda Blethyn, David Tennant and Alison Steadman. The channel was also responsible for resurrecting the much-loved South Bank Show and The South Bank Show Awards. Sky Arts also encourages new formats and methods for accessing the arts, working with the ENO and National Gallery to beam the world’s first live opera and first live opening night of an exhibition in 3D to cinemas across the UK and Ireland.

Sky Arts also seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life. Sky Arts has collaborated with a number of arts organisations including the English National Ballet and has supported the Hay Festival as broadcast partner since 2006. The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK. The Series will seek to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works; Sky Arts Ignition Series: Futures Fund will support five young artists with a bursary of £30,000 each, enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent.

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