Royal snub for BBC as C4 bag rights for King Richard III burial

Channel 4 promises a week of exclusive programming as king found under car park is laid to rest

King Richard III, by an unknown 16th-century artist; King Richard's head (Reuters; PA)

Channel 4 has secured the live rights to covering the burial of King Richard III – found unexpectedly in a Leicestershire car park - after the BBC “couldn’t make their minds” up.

Channel 4 were front-runners for the coverage after having invested in filming the excavation of the king’s remains after the discovery of his body made waves all over the world in Autumn 2012.

But the deal wasn’t done, and the BBC were reportedly involved in discussions to cover the internment at Leicester Cathedral on March 26th.

“The BBC couldn’t make its mind up when the discussions started, so there will be Channel 4 cameras inside the cathedral,” an insider told The Radio Times.

The internment will take place at Leicester Cathedral

Sophie Countess of Wessex will be present at the event, which Channel 4 have billed as the culmination of “a week of exclusive live programming for the burial of King Richard III”.

The broadcaster’s documentary, Richard III: The King in the Car Park, won various awards for its unique insight into what it describes as “one of the archaeological finds of the century”.

Channel 4’s Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt says: “The discovery of the remains of Richard III was an extraordinary event which gripped the whole world. I am incredibly proud that Channel 4 was the only broadcaster to follow the story so closely from the very beginning and that we can be here as this remarkable story comes to its fitting conclusion

DNA tests proved that the remains matched with those of his descendants and the bones were carbon-dated to a period of 1455-1540.

When lead archaeologist Richard Buckley told a press conference, “beyond reasonable doubt it’s Richard”, the announcement was met by a round of applause.

Dr Jo Appleby, an osteo-archaeologist from the university's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, revealed the bones were of a man in his late 20s or early 30s. Richard was 32 when he died.

His skeleton had suffered ten injuries, including eight to the skull, at around the time of death. Two of the skull wounds were potentially fatal.

Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow will present the live show

Channel 4 will cover a week of events leading up to the burial on March 26, hosted by Jon Snow, alongside presenters Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Arthur Williams and Sonali Shah.

The broadcaster will follow a procession which will march his remains through the streets of villages he visited while alive. They’ll visit Leicestershire University where his remains were identified and the battlefield where he was killed, finishing at Leicestershire Cathedral where people from all around the world will pay their respects as he is finally laid to rest.