Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King arrives on BBC2 as the clock counts down to King Charles III's Coronation Day. This fascinating and timely documentary is presented by bespoke menswear designer and Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant and will be celebrating the very best of British manufacturing and craftsmanship, revealing the rich heritage and history behind our iconic military uniforms and telling the inspiring, contemporary and powerful stories of the men and women of the British armed services who will wear these magnificent uniforms with pride.
Formerly called Stitching For Britain, here's everything you need to know about Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King...
- For a full round-up of programmes that will be airing for the Coronation check out our special guide — King Charles' Coronation complete TV guide: times, specials and what to watch over the bank holiday weekend
Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King release date
Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King will be shown on BBC2 on Wednesday May 3 at 9pm so in the run-up to Coronation Day on May 6 2023 when you can see the armed forces wearing all the pristine uniforms seen being stitched in this show.
Is there a Coronation Tailors: Fit For A King trailer?
The BBC hasn't released a Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King trailer so you'll need to watch the show.
What happens in Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King
In Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King, Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant is given unique access to London-based uniform manufacturers, Kashket & Partners, as they pull out all the stops to prepare thousands of spectacular parade uniforms for King Charles’ Coronation Day on May 6.
Patrick Grant will spend time on the factory floor with the inspiring and dynamic multi-generational Kashket family of master tailors and their staff. Along with the Kashkets’ partners, historic Birmingham metalwork specialists Firmin & Sons, they are the engine room producing uniforms for combat and ceremony and have been supplying the British armed forces since the reign of King Charles II in the 17th century.
Patrick will witness the extraordinary levels of tailoring detail that is required for the history-rich ceremonial uniforms, with each regiment having different traditions and regalia. He’ll also see first-hand the passion of the hard-working staff as they battle against time to alter hundreds of existing uniforms to include the King’s new cypher along with shiny new buttons bearing the letters "CR".
Interview: Patrick Grant on Coronation Tailors: Fit For A King.
Sewing Bee judge and top tailor Patrick Grant spoke to us about what to expect in Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King...
So, Patrick, what can we expect from the show?
Patrick Grant says: "I visit the extraordinary businesses that are preparing various aspects of the parade uniforms for the coronation. And as someone who’s a mad, passionate advocate for British manufacturing and fascinated by the history of clothing, it’s been an absolute treat. I was overjoyed to get on their factory floors and poke around!"
You have a personal connection to the military, don’t you?
Patrick says: "I do. My grandfather, Flight Lieutenant Walter Henry Ewen FitzEarle, was an RAF pilot killed in action during World War Two. I keep his wardrobe trunk in my London workshop and have always been interested in military tailoring, so this was a dream job."
What can tell us about the Kashket family?
Patrick says: "They’re characters! Multi-generational family businesses like theirs are always tricky and none of them hold back, but there’s a lot of love. There’s Grandad Bernard at the top, who’s retired in theory but comes in on Fridays and is a steadying presence. And then his two sons: Russell, who manages the business and does the fittings for the service men and women, and Marlon, the design boss [who made the red Irish Guards tunic that Prince William wore on his wedding day]. There’s also Russell’s wife, Cheryl, and son, Nathan, who is the factory’s future, with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. It’s a great dynamic."
They call themselves ‘London’s best-kept secret’…
Patrick says: "They are! I’d heard of them but never visited their factory which is on an unprepossessing industrial estate in North London. There’s absolutely no sense outside of the splendour going on inside! The Kashkets are involved in every aspect of producing uniforms, from jackets and trousers to helmets and swords, and I also visit their partners, Birmingham metalwork specialists Firmin & Sons, who were royal button makers to King George II [who reigned from 1727 to 1760] and have supplied buttons for every monarch since! And I visit Yorkshire’s Hainsworth woollen mill to check their scarlet fabric will be delivered in time to make the guards’ uniform. They can’t be late on this one!"
Well, yes, time is ticking! Will the ceremonial uniforms be ready for the coronation on 6 May?
Patrick says: "I think the answer is, they have to be! When we first started filming the documentary, everyone was like, ‘Yeah, we’re on top of this’. But, as of last week, when I was at the factory, the atmosphere has very much changed! There was definitely a sense of deadlines looming and panicked conversations. I think it will go to the wire and people will be sewing into the night in the final few days, but this is their job – royal weddings, royal funerals, Trooping the Colour. They do this year in, year out. I’m sure they’ll do it."
What can you reveal about the scale of this undertaking… we hear Kashkets must make 6,000 new uniforms, while Firmins have alterations for 50 regiments?
Patrick says: "It’s hard to put an exact number on it but it’s a lot! So some uniforms, like the Blues and Royals [the Royal Horse Guards and the First Royal Dragoons] need to be made from scratch for new recruits, or personnel who have moved up in rank. And every uniform needs to be changed in some way to replace Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher with the King’s new cypher – so all the buttons need to be changed to the King’s initials, as do all the metal cap badges. The drum major, who you’ll see at the front of the parade, has an elaborately embroidered tunic, which will need to be changed, too, and I know items are being added to the Beefeater [Yeoman Warders] and Chelsea Pensioner uniforms."
Do you have a favourite moment from filming?
Patrick says: "It was watching a guy called John, at Firmins, make Household Cavalry helmets. He makes them from scratch using an incredible roller and anvil-type of tool which he operates with one leg and both arms, while standing on one leg! He rolls and shapes a helmet from a flat sheet of metal, which is utterly amazing to see. The craftsmanship and skill of everyone working in these factories is unique – there’s no one in the world who can do what they do and that’s why no one does pageantry like Great Britain."
Finally, how will you be celebrating the coronation?
Patrick says: "A friend is having a garden party so I shall watch it all from there. I haven’t thought about what to wear – maybe I’ll sew some gold buttons on my suit!"
Behind the scenes and more about Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King
Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King, formerly called Stitching for Britain, is a Waddell Media Production for the BBC Commissioned by Fran Baker Series Producer is Rob Gill Executive Producers are David Cumming and Jannine Waddell.
