Dame Helen Mirren will host the D-Day 80 national commemorative event in Portsmouth. The Ministry of Defence, Royal British Legion, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Normandy Memorial Trust will celebrate the work of UK and other forces at the port city, where the Allies left for the beaches of Normandy during the Second World War. Dame Helen will present the event, which takes place on the eve of the 80th anniversary. It is broadcast through the BBC One programme D-Day 80: The Allies Prepare, which is presented by Woman’s Hour host Anita Rani and John-James Chalmers, a veteran and sports presenter. The event in June will feature “spoken word testimony” by well-known faces and military personnel as well as performances from musical stars and the tri-service orchestra. BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: “The 80th anniversary of D-Day is an important moment to reflect and pay tribute to those who were involved in 1944. “We have a wide range of distinctive programming that will bring people together to commemorate across the BBC, including full live coverage of events from both sides of the Channel as well as special documentaries and editions of some of our most popular programmes on television and radio.” BBC One will also have the programme D-Day 80: Tribute To The Fallen, which will be presented by former Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young at the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy, France.
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