BBC America Turns Spotlight on London

NEW YORK: Live coverage of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be part of BBC America’s Summer of London lineup, which will also include the U.S. comedy premieres of Twenty Twelve and an Olympic-themed Absolutely Fabulous special.

Live coverage will be provided for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant and Jubilee Day. In a nod to the Olympics being held in London, BBC America will air the comedy Twenty Twelve, an Olympic-themed Ab Fab and the drama Going for Gold: The ’48 Games, featuring Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith.

The channel has also lined up The Brit List, a series of specials hosted by Asha Leo. Leo will also front short-form pieces that feature insider highlights of the upcoming summer activities.

A raft of Beatles programming has also been slated. This includes the premiere of Discovering Lennon. A marathon of The Tudors is on the grid as well.

Perry Simon, the general manager of BBC America, said: “It feels like we’re in the midst of a new British cultural invasion and this coming summer offers a non-stop series of events and stories that will put London front and center on the world stage. If you can’t experience it in person, we want to make BBC America the next best place for Americans to celebrate this historic Summer of London.”