After the sad news of Queen Elizabeth II's death, although we are all united in grief, many are also finding comfort in looking back at the Queen's happier moments. Her Majesty was a dedicated supporter of British culture and among her numerous passions, was her support of the arts. She annually made a point of highlighting the work of creatives and artists in her New Year and Birthday Honours list.
According to reports, the Queen received selected shows from the BBC, who would occasionally add in unrequested items they thought she may enjoy. The Queen reportedly 'liked them in the form of separate discs, although of course it would be easier to transfer them digitally,' says an aide who used to work at the Highlands royal retreat. 'You might call that old-fashioned, but that’s the way she prefers to do her viewing.'
Here we take a look at what were reportedly Queen Elizabeth II's favourite TV shows:
Queen Elizabeth II's Favourite TV Shows
1 of 6Strictly Come Dancing
Yes, the Queen had Strictly Come Dancing fever like the rest of us! Strictly Come Dancing contestant JJ Chalmers competed in the 2020 series. The television presenter and Invictus Games medallist also had a connection to the Royal Family as his father, John Chalmers, was once the Queen’s Chaplin.
During an interview withHuw Edwards, JJ shared a sweet anecdote and revealed the Queen was a Strictly fan. He said, 'And actually, I’ve never said this one, but one of the most lovely things I’ve ever seen was, following the death of her husband my father had obviously written to her and she returned a letter which was typed and had all the expected notes within it. But at the bottom was a handwritten message that said, “I’ve just realised that the JJ Chalmers that I’ve been watching on the coverage of my husband’s funeral is the same JJ Chalmers that you told me of being injured all those years ago."'
‘And also a line that said, "And the same JJ Chalmers that I enjoyed watching on Strictly Come Dancing."' He added, 'So yes she has two things actually, she has an incredible memory but she also watches Strictly Come Dancing.’
2 of 6Kumars at 42
Belive it or not - the Queen knew some of Kumars at 42 word for word. Former BBC Radio 2 editor Phil Jones revealed in the New Statesman that during the early noughties, the Queen told him her favourite programme was The Kumars At No 42. The BBC comedy, which ran from 2001 until 2006, and was revived briefly in 2014, followed the family life of the Kumars, who live in Hounslow.
The comedy focused on a British-Indian family and starred Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal. Viewers loved watching the failed attempts of Sanjeev (Sanjeev Bhaskar) trying to make it as a television presenter in a makeshift studio built in their back garden. The Queen loved it even more and would often apparently recite the lines of Meera Syal's character.
3 of 6Downton Abbey
The Queen always had a sharp eyes when it came to the details of Downton Abbey. According to Brian Hoey, the author of At Home With The Queen, the monarch would watch the show when it aired from 2011 to 2018 and 'point out things they have got wrong, partly because she is familiar with Highclere Castle, where it is filmed.'
4 of 6Coronation Street
Queen Elizabeth IIwas a big fan of the long-running soap. Did you know the Queen actually made two visits to Weatherfield? Her first trip was in 1982, when she opened the new set in Granada Studios and then she made in return recently in 2021. Over the years, reports have claimed Her Majesty was a fan of the long-running soap, which started on ITV in 1960.
5 of 6Pointless
Rumours have long suggested that the Queen enjoyed watching the TV during her afternoon tea, with BBC One quiz show Pointless being one of her rumoured top picks. Presenter Alexander Armstrong said in 2017 that a palace insider told him that Her Majesty first stumbled upon the show in the 2010s and became quickly hooked.
It has been reported that The Queen actually played a game of Pointless with the presenter at the Sandringham branch of the Women’s Institute, where the Queen was one of the locals. Alexander revealed the Queen was ‘brilliant’ and ‘got right into it’, adding he believed she was a fan of the show.
He gushed that being asked to do this by the Queen was the most 'enchanting' thing, adding ‘it was like one of those dreams where you wake up.’
6 of 6The Bill
In 2010, when The Bill was cancelled after 26 years, the monarch was said to be very disappointed. Actor Paul Nichols confirmed the series was a favourite, revealing he knew because he had once been shown the list sent from Buckingham Palace to the BBC.
Despite enjoying the police drama, she is reported to have said she was not a fan of 'those episodes where policemen get hurt.'