Produced in partnership with The Open University, the documentary celebrates the transformative power of reading through the moving, personal stories of individuals whose lives have been changed by discovering the joy of books.

An avid reader herself, Queen Camilla has a passionate interest in shining a spotlight on the importance of reading, founding The Queen’s Reading Room and acting as Patron of several organisations which foster and facilitate reading across the UK. In a special and intimate contribution, Queen Camilla reflects on her lifelong love of literature, sharing the childhood experiences that first sparked her passion for reading and the comfort she still finds in books. These include personal recollections of her father, Major Bruce Shand, and his experience being held in a German prisoner-of-war camp; when reading reinforced a lifelong enthusiasm for the written word which he later imparted to his daughter.

Alongside Her Majesty The Queen, the documentary will feature individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who all share one thing – moving stories of resilience and renewal, fostered by reading. From finding solace in a book while in prison, to overcoming deep depression through the connection of a local book club, or finding the inspiration to completely change their life, these stories reveal how books offer salvation, hope, joy, deep connection and fresh perspectives when people need them most.

The film will also explore the growing scientific evidence that demonstrates how reading can improve health and wellbeing.

Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts and Classical Music TV, says: “The simple act of opening the pages of a book can be one of the most powerful and transformational choices we can make. Books aren’t trying to distract us or sell us anything, instead they take us outside our own problems and challenges to a whole new world – one we can see in our mind’s eye. And the power of that different point of view can deeply change our perspective on ourselves – as demonstrated by the moving, emotional stories of the contributors to this special documentary.

“As we mark the National Year of Reading, we hope to inspire people of all ages to pick up a book, to see the world in new ways and potentially change their own lives. We are especially delighted that Her Majesty The Queen, a devoted reader and champion of literature, is at the heart of this celebratory new project exploring the power of great books to change lives for the better.”

Dan Chambers, Co-Founder of Blink Films and Executive Producer, says: “We’re all delighted to be exploring the transformative effects of reading, and so grateful to Her Majesty The Queen for her ongoing support for the project and for agreeing to go on camera herself.”

Further literature-focused programming from BBC Arts in 2026 includes a new three-part series about Charles Dickens, new episodes of The Read exploring classic titles such as The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Little Women and Oliver Twist, and newly commissioned BBC Bookworm content for TikTok.

The documentary (1×60’) is a Blink Films production for BBC Two and iPlayer, produced in partnership with The Open University and in collaboration with The Queen’s Reading Room. It was commissioned for BBC Arts by Suzy Klein and the Commissioning Editor is Amanda Goodman. The executive producer for Blink Films is Dan Chambers, and the Director is Toby Trackman – Director of Royal Television Society’s award-winning BBC Arts film, The Last Musician of Auschwitz.

The film is due to air later in 2026.

Notes to Editors

Her Majesty The Queen has a passionate interest in shining a spotlight on the importance of reading, both domestically and internationally.

Her Majesty is Patron of charities, including Book Aid International, First Story, Silver Stories and The National Literacy Trust. Her Majesty’s first solo engagement following the Coronation, on 18th May 2023, was to Shirehampton Primary School in Bristol, where she launched the first of 50 Coronation Libraries, created by the National Literacy Trust.

Across the UK and overseas, Her Majesty has visited schools and libraries, as well as workplace reading schemes and prisons to see the work of adult literacy schemes. In her role as Vice-Patron of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), Her Majesty remains deeply involved in the RCS’s Queens Commonwealth Writing Competition – welcoming entries from young writers across the globe.

For many years, The Queen has been involved with BBC “500 Words” creative writing competition for children. This year The Queen hosted the Grand Final at Windsor Castle.

In 2023 Her Majesty launched The Queen’s Reading Room – a charity working to celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading, in the UK and beyond.

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