Westminster Abbey: Behind Closed Doors on SBS – Westminster Abbey is opening its doors to reveal the inner workings of one of the UK’s most renowned and historical buildings.
This six-part series follows the internal workings of the Abbey’s devoted staff as they prepare for special services, hold daily worship, and manage a famous world heritage site.
Exploring everything from traditions and rituals to tourism and the royals, we go behind the scenes of this busy modern-day community to discover a place at the heart of Britain for almost 1000 years.
Series One, Episode One:
It costs 24 million pounds a year to run and maintain Westminster Abbey.
The Abbey’s status as a Royal Peculiar means that it relies almost entirely on the money it makes from selling tickets to tourists.
However, the Covid pandemic forced the Abbey to shut its doors for the first time in 70 years, creating a major financial black hole.
In this episode, after losing around 1 million pounds a month during the pandemic, we see the huge recovery efforts of the abbey’s 300 strong team of staff and volunteers. It is crucial the Abbey recuperate some of these lost funds and open the doors once again.
Westminster Abbey: Behind Closed Doors – New Series Premiere – Saturday, 20 May at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS on Demand (6 Parts)
TV Central SBS content HERE
