Wildflame visits more royal residences for Channel 5

Channel 5 has tapped Wildflame Productions for two more feature-length documentaries about a pair of Britain’s royal residences.

Clarence House (w/t) and St James’ Palace (w/t) will both be 90-minute singles, promising to reveal the secrets of the royal manors. The commissions follow the indie’s previous doc Frogmore House: Royal Retreat.

Clarence House is the London home of King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as being the favoured abode for previous royals such as The Queen Mother.  Tucked away from the tourist trail, the building is known to be a spot where the royals have always been free to be themselves. The doc will feature historians, journalists and biographers documenting the cast of royals who have called it home and the stories surrounding it.

For 300 years, St James’ Palace has been the high seat of the British monarchy and central to the royal family. Built by Henry VIII nearly five centuries ago on the site of an old leper hospital, the residence has been witness to historical events, such as the imprisonment of Charles I days before he was beheaded, and was a focal point for the thousands of mourners as Diana, Princess of Wales, lay in rest in the Chapel Royal ahead of her funeral.

Both documentaries were commissioned for C5 by Lucy Willis, commissioning editor of non-scripted, and will be exec produced by Simon Kerfoot for Wildflame. Clarence House (w/t) is produced and directed by Kate Hampson, while St James’s Palace (w/t) is produced and directed by Joanna Burge, who also serves as series producer for both singles. Silverlining Rights will handle global sales.

Connie Fisher, head of development at Wildflame, said: “Once again we enjoy incredible insight from those who know these palaces inside out and, through that testimony coupled with glorious archive and 3D modelling, we are able to explore these royal homes and their fascinating stories in tantalising detail.”