The magic of Christmas at Kew is revealed in a one-off programme on Tuesday 14 December at 9pm
In this one off seasonal special, Channel 5 goes behind-the-scenes of one of Britain’s best known and most popular destinations – Kew Gardens in south-west London and their sister site in the Sussex High Weald – Wakehurst – for the first time ever, revealing what goes into making Christmas so special at these iconic gardens.
This one-off hour-long programme follows the day-to-day work, trials and joys of the horticulture team caring for Kew’s valuable living collections and features behind-the-scenes access to some of Kew’s 350 scientists.
The Christmas special follows staff at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst as they prepare for one of the busiest times of the year. From the tree gang hanging lights on Britain’s tallest living Christmas tree at Wakehurst and festive pruning taking place in the Temperate House at Kew Gardens, to watching Kew’s scientists propagating holly and discovering the horticultural importance of Frankincense, the programme shares a side to Kew and Christmas that’s never been seen before.
In the vegetable garden at Kew, heritage carrots are being pulled, kale cut, and Jerusalem artichokes lifted ready for a very special festive meal for the tree gang as they take a well-earned break from rigging the thousands of Christmas lights. In the glasshouses, the ladders are out ready to get some of Kew’s wilder inhabitants back under control before they burst out of the roof.
Meanwhile, at Kew’s wild botanic garden Wakehurst, the programme takes a tour of the winter garden in all its seasonal splendour and the bomb-proof doors of the Millennium Seed Bank are thrown open to reveal the work going on to protect some of the world’s most endangered plants.
Finished just in time for the first arrivals, Kew’s magical winter trail is switched on and lights up the garden ready for families to enjoy the festivities with a glass of seasonal cheer, a toasted marshmallow, and the chance to glimpse Father Christmas. From the Palm House light display and the tunnels of light to the dancing waterside reflections, the spirit of Christmas has well and truly arrived at Kew.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing & Commercial Enterprise at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said: “This programme gives people a unique perspective on everything that goes into delivering a special Christmas atmosphere for our visitors at this time of year. From the excitement of installing and launching the lights for Christmas at Kew to seasonal work, it’s an incredibly busy time of year for the garden staff looking after our precious plants at Kew and Wakehurst, our wild botanic garden in Sussex. We’re really delighted with how passionate everyone who works at Kew is about their role, the pride they take, and I hope this programme will not only get viewers into the festive mood, but also prompt a visit to one of our gardens this winter.”
Channel 5 were granted unprecedented access to film the preparations for Christmas at Kew and Glow Wild at Wakehurst. Filmed by Curve Productions for Channel 5, the series was commissioned in 2021 and filming took place from November to December 2021. This follows a very successful four-part series, Kew Gardens: A Year in Bloom which was commissioned and aired on Channel 5 in 2020.