Entertainment

Countryfile will feature Queen’s private estates

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gave permission for the filming.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gave permission for the filming. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gave permission for the filming.

Countryfile is heading to the Queen’s private estates at Balmoral and Sandringham.

Three special episodes will be filmed at the royal locations, and also Windsor, to mark the show’s 30th birthday.

The BBC1 rural affairs show said that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had given permission for the filming.

The episodes will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation and show how the estates are run and the Queen and the duke’s involvement.

They will explore the Queen’s “lifelong attachment to rural Britain, where her passion came from, and her knowledge and love of animals”.

The BBC1 show, fronted by John Craven, Matt Baker, Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison, Steve Brown, Tom Heap, Helen Skelton and others, turns 30 on July 24.

Executive editor Bill Lyons said: “We’ve shared many memorable moments with our viewers during those three decades, but we look to the future and hope to celebrate the beautiful British countryside for many years to come.”