S2011 · E82

Royal Wedding Special

Friday's nuptials may have meant an extra day off for many, but not for Kirsty Wark who will be presenting a royal wedding edition of Newsnight at our usual time of 10.30pm. Kirsty will be joined in the studio by guests Simon Schama, Will Self, Rowan Pelling, Plum Sykes and Nicky Haslam who will be discussing the events of the day and their impact. Does the wedding feel in tune with the current mood of the country, or hopelessly out of step? Has this been a welcome break from the atmosphere of austerity or an outrageous expense at a time of belt tightening? And what of the bride and groom? To what effect do William and Kate define Britishness today and what effect will they have on how the monarchy is viewed? All that and more will be up for debate. The programme kicks off with a report from Michael Crick who will have spent the day down at Buckingham Palace talking to the crowds who have gathered there. And Stephen Smith is heading to Gloucester to a neighbourhood which hosted a fantastic street party when Charles and Diana married in 1981, but which took some encouragement and help from Big Society organiser Citizen Smith to get in the party mood this time round.