Forty years ago, the British nation came to a standstill.
Thousands lined the streets of London and, in homes and offices throughout the country, the biggest television audience of its time - some 20 million - watched transfixed as Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey. Tonight, Sylvia Peters , who hosted the original BBCtv coverage of the Coronation, introduces a documentary that recalls the occasion, and some of the key people who took part remember the pageantry and splendour of the day. Among the questions to be answered are: who sat on the Coronation throne just hours before the Queen; who misplaced the crown; and did the Archbishop of Canterbury really have a swig of brandy during the service. Contributors include
James Wilkinson , a Westminster chorister in 1953 and now the BBC's science correspondent, and the BBC producer on the day, Peter Dimmock , who recounts some of his memories.
Producer Michael Begg
EIGHT-PAGE CORONATION SPECIAL see page 24