WESTMINSTER ABBEY: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

8pm, Channel 5

Westminster Abbey is one the UK’S most-iconic buildings and is almost 1,000 years old. It’s been host to royal coronations, weddings and funerals and, before the pandemic, received over a million tourists each year. But when COVID-19 hit, the Abbey had to close its doors. The building costs £24 million a year to run, with most of its income driven by selling tickets to tourists, but with no money coming in, it hit a crisis. In this series, we find out what the 300-strong team of staff and volunteers are doing to try to recover things, and also get a glimpse of the daily workings of the Abbey, by following everyone from the Dean to the vergers, the cleaners and roofers as they prepare special services for worship and manage a world heritage site.