English king-in-waiting Prince William and lovely commoner Kate Middleton will finally tie the knot on Friday. The ceremony will air at 6 a.m. on a bajillion news networks, although coverage will start even earlier.
With so many networks vying for your attention, The Washington Post’s Emily Yahr thought it would be nice to help you decide which to watch, based on what, exactly, you want to get out of this most momentous occasion.
Live coverage of the wedding
• WETA and WMPT -- 3 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The two local public television stations will carry the BBC's live, commercial-free coverage as led by BBC veteran Huw Edwards. The BBC plans to cover the royal family's arrival at Westminster Abbey, the ceremony itself, the newly-married couple's return to Buckingham Palace and, finally, the moment when Prince William and Princess Catherine greet the crowds from the palace balcony. BBC.com will stream the wedding live at bbc.com/royalwedding.
• ABC -- 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters anchor coverage from Buckingham Palace, with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts stationed at Westminster Abbey.
• NBC -- 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. "Today" begins coverage from London at 4 a.m., with Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Brian Williams, Al Roker, Ann Curry and Natalie Morales reporting.
• CBS -- 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. After anchoring "CBS Evening News" for a third straight night from London, Katie Couric leads live coverage beginning at 5 a.m. with reports from "Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill from outside Buckingham Palace.
• BBC America -- 3 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The cable network will carry a direct simulcast of BBC One's commercial-free coverage.
• MSNBC -- from 3 a.m. Martin Bashir and Chris Jansing lead coverage from London until 5 a.m., when Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist take the reins.
• CNN -- from 4 a.m. Piers Morgan, Richard Quest, Anderson Cooper, Kiran Chetry and British broadcaster and fashion expert Cat Deeley anchor CNN's coverage from London.
• E! Entertainment -- 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Giuliana Rancic hosts "Live From the Royal Wedding" with UK TV personality Dermot O'Leary, E! News reporters Catt Sadler and Jason Kennedy, and contributors Louise Roe and Angela Rippon.
• Fox News Channel -- from 4 a.m. Shepard Smith and Martha MacCallum anchor coverage from Buckingham Palace. Gretchen Carlson and Jonathan Hunt report live from Westminster Abbey.
Take a tour of Westminster Abbey and travel the post-nuptial route back to Buckingham Palace with 3-D graphics, panoramas and historical images.
More Gene Weingarten
Made out with the best man
Bravo
So many royal wedding commentators — but how many can say they made out with Prince Harry, the best man? Cat Ommanney of “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” that’s who! The night before the wedding, at 11, she joins Bravo programming exec/talk show star Andy Cohen for “Watch What Happens Live: Royal Wedding Spectacular.”
Most Martin Bashir coverage
MSNBC, 3 to 11 a.m.
Martin Bashir (you know, the British journalist who famously did those interviews with Michael Jackson that got the singer into so much trouble and ABC such stupendous ratings) is the reason to watch this network at this supremely early hour.
Commercial -free coverage in proper British accents
BBC America, 3 to 8:30 a.m. (WETA and MPT will air the same coverage)
Simulcasting the BBC’s official coverage, these are the channels you want to turn to if you actually want to, you know, learn something. BBC reporter Huw Edwards anchors the commentary and all the big scenes of the day.
Most cheesetastic
E!, 4 to 9 a.m.
Giuliana Rancic freaks out when George Clooney strolls down a red carpet, so when she’s in the presence of actual royalty, it’s anybody’s bet. Rancic is being joined by a slew of E! reporters and contributor Louise Roe, whom you may remember as the host of CW’s creeptastic, and deservedly short-lived, makeover series, “Plain Jane.” E! will then turn things over to the great Joan Rivers, who will judge all the fancy dresses and hats on “Fashion Police: Royal Wedding,” at 10 p.m. along with special guest star Tori Spelling, who, E! insists, has a right to weigh in because she’s “American TV royalty.” Yes, they really do.
TLC, 5 to 9 a.m.
Staples of the royal wedding: class, elegance and, obviously, Jumbotrons. Silver Spring-based TLC has been gorging on pre-wedding coverage with royal-themed specials, including a Very Special episode of the antiques-store series “What the Sell?!” that looked at royal lingerie from the Victorian era. TLC will continue to specialize in embracing all things gaudy on The Big Day, when “Say Yes to the Dress” fashion director Randy Fenoli hosts a viewing party in Times Square, where the network will show pre-wedding coverage and the live ceremony on the ginormous Jumbotron screens.
Most dishy
ABC, 4 to 10 a.m.
ABC snagged Newsweek-Daily Beast chief Tina Brown, who penned the controversial “The Diana Chronicles” in 2007 with juicy details of William’s parents’ relationship.
Fox News Channel, 4 to 8 a.m.
Not to be outdone, Fox News Channel has enlisted the help of Princess Di’s former butler, Paul Burrell. Burrell, you’ll recall, was tried — and acquitted — over accusations that he stole Diana’s possessions, according to multiple press reports at that time. Burrell also wrote a tell-all book spilling lots of alleged secrets about his time with the royal family.
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