LONDON - The popular U.S. breakfast TV show "Good Morning America" is all set to broadcast live from the Buckingham Place after the Queen gave her approval for filming episodes at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
However, the Queen will not be residing at these palaces at the time of shooting these episodes. The Royal approval could give a much-needed boost to the British tourism industry, which is on a slope following the July London bombings. ABC will broadcast from Windsor Castle on Thursday next and the Throne Room and the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace on Friday. Another site where filming has been approved is the Holyroodhouse. “We are delighted that ABC has agreed to broadcast their flagship breakfast programme from the UK, especially at such an important time for the tourist industry.
The Queen has given her approval," said a Buckingham Palace spokesman. Ben Sherwood, executive producer of "Good Morning America" said that ABC was honored to have received the go-ahead to shoot at the Palaces, "ABC News will give millions of viewers an extraordinary, unprecedented live look inside the Royal Palaces. We look forward to an unforgettable, live transatlantic television event," he commented.
Good Morning America has a veiwership of around five million every day and it is hoped that an intimate glimpse inside the Royal Palaces would boost the flagging trans-Atlantic tourism. The Duke of York has given an interview about tourism, which will also be broadcast on the show. 2004 was the best year for British Tourism with 28 million visitors spending £13 billion in the country.
However most of these visitors were from Eastern Europe, Russia, China and other parts of Asia. American visitors numbered only 3.6 billion. The idea to film at the palaces was first mooted when President Bush paid an official visit to the Queen in November 2003. Talks gathered momentum after the July bombings leading up to the Thursday episode.
Posted
on : Sun, 02 Oct 2005 13:05 GMT | General News
By : Mike Lawson
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