What’s on TV for King Charles III's Coronation? What to watch, from BBC ceremony coverage to Channel 4's alternative offering with Frankie Boyle

Members of the Household Cavalry take part in a rehearsal at Buckingham Palace for the Coronation of King Charles III and The Queen Consort which will take place on May 6 2023. Picture: Getty Images)

The BBC’s extensive coverage will begin the week prior to the event with programming such as The Eve of the Coronation and Sing for the King: The Search for the Coronation Choir airing on the evening of Friday, May 5 , while Channel 4 and Channel 5 offer alternatives to the royal ceremony.

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When is King Charles’ Coronation?

A view of Bond Street as it is decorated with 247 Union flags to celebrate King Charles III's Coronation.

King Charles’ Coronation will take place on Saturday May 6. The King’s Procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey will set off at at 10.20am, and arrive at the Abbey shortly before 11am.

When does the Coronation start?

The Coronation Ceremony is set to begin at 11am, punctuated with music selected by the King. This will include King Charles III’s Coronation March which has been composed by Scottish film composer Patrick Doyle.

When is the coronation on TV?

BBC Coronation Coverage

The BBC’s extensive Coronation coverage starts at 7.30am on Saturday (May 6) morning, beginning with preparation for the ceremony. Kirsty Young will present from a studio outside Buckingham Palace, where she will be joined by guests and, in between, a series of films which explore the King’s interests and passions will be shared.

At 10.15am, the live event coverage will begin as the King’s procession makes its way through London, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. Sophie Raworth will speak to guests as they arrive and Huw Edwards will provide commentary.

Following the Coronation, the newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla will head back to Buckingham Palace in the coronation procession where they will be received at the Mall and make the traditional balcony appearance. Huw Edwards will continue his commentary as Sophie Raworth presents.

From 7pm, Kirsty Young will return, looking back at highlights from the day from outside Buckingham Palace.

This follows the BBC’s Friday coverage, which includes HM The King's Coronation: The Eve of the Coronation, which follows preparations for one of the biggest military parades in British living memory, and Sing for the King: The Search for the Coronation Choir, the group who will perform during the Coronation Concert on Sunday alongside stars such as Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa and Andrea Bocelli.

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ITV Coronation programmes

From 6am (May 6), Good Morning Britain will kick off coronation day on ITV with a one-off special episode. Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard will be live from Westminster Abbey, Ranvir Singh will be outside the Abbey speaking to guests as they arrive, Kate Garraway will be live from Buckingham Palace, Charlotte Hawkins will be with the Armed Forces and Laura Tobin will be live from the Long Walk in Windsor.

ITV’s full coronation coverage will then begin an hour behind the BBC’s, but will broadcast uninterrupted until 3pm.

The coronation broadcast will be presented by Julie Etchingham and Tom Bradby, while the wider ITV team, including Mary Nightingale, Nina Hossain, Charlene White and James Mates, will be at the key locations to not miss a moment of events.

Other coverage throughout the period includes This Morning joining forces with Coronation Street for a live 150-minute episode from the iconic Weatherfield set, which will be hosted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, and Loose Women will throw a Great British garden party.

Sky Coronation coverage

From 6am, Sky News will broadcast their coronation day coverage. Kay Burley will open things from Westminster Abbey as troops in the coronation take up their positions. They will then head over to Buckingham Palace from 9am with Anna Botting to cover the build up to the ceremony which begins at 11am.

Dame Joanna Lumley will also support Sky’s coverage after attending the coronation as a guest of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.

From 9am-3pm, Sky News will remove ad breaks for uninterrupted television, alongside broadcasting the event in Ultra HD for free from 7am-3pm on Sky News, Sky Showcase and also the Sky News YouTube channel.

The programming will continue until the evening, with Mark Austin reflecting on the day between 5-8pm, when Gillian Joseph will pick up the highlights of the day from around the country between 9-10pm.

What can I watch instead of the Coronation?

Channel 4’s alternative Coronation programmes

Unlike most broadcasters, Channel 4’s TV coverage will be largely unconcerned with the Coronation - something which many Scots will be interested in.

On Friday May 5, Channel 4 will show The Windsors Coronation Special, followed by Prince Andrew the Musical and then Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy at 1am, which is said to provide a different perspective on the history of the royal family.

The Scottish comedian will question the place of the royals in the modern world, saying they “appear like animals in a zoo that’s fallen on hard times – fidgety, balding, pacing up and down their marble cage, pausing only to chew their own tail off or commit a sex crime out of boredom.”

As part of its alternative coverage, Channel 4 also announced a two-part documentary series called Andrew: The Problem Prince featuring former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis who will share how she came to grill Andrew over his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But on coronation day, they kick off their daily programming with reruns of shows including Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens and Frasier. At 11.45am – in the middle of coronation proceedings – you can watch Johnny English Strikes Again, followed by the live Formula E Monaco ePrix.

On the alternative scheduling, the Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz said the broadcaster “will provide an escape from the pomp and ceremony”.

Channel 5 Coronation day programming

And if you’re really not keen on coronation coverage, or perhaps you have children to entertain, Channel 5 will be showing children’s series such as The Adventures of Paddington, Spongebob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, alongside movies including children’s cartoon Sing and The Dam Busters.

The broadcaster also showed children’s movies such as The Emoji Movie during the Queen’s funeral, which drew both criticism and praise from the public.