Diana: A Life Backwards

Marking the 20th anniversary of her untimely death, Archive on 4 presents a unique and moving portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales - her life documented in reverse chronology. Diana, Princess of Wales was arguably the most famous - and most photographed - woman in the world. Her life has been exhaustively discussed and disassembled in the media both before and since her untimely death on 31st August 1997. As the anniversary of that tragic event approaches, is there anything truly new for us to learn about her remarkable, turbulent, and short life - and how the way we reacted to it changed our society? Drawing from hundreds of hours of footage, Archive on 4 presents a unique, unmediated portrait of the Princess - starting with the sombre events of her funeral and taking the listener on a journey backwards through her life and times: from the remarkable public outpouring of grief that followed her passing; the almost unbearable press intrusion into her private world in her last months; her new life as a single woman; her divorce, her married life and the public jubilation surrounding the Royal Wedding of 1981; right back to the announcement of the 19 year-old Diana's engagement to Prince Charles. Unpresented and unmediated, the programme offers a unique audio montage of the events of, and reaction to, one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century. Featuring contributions from the archives from Piers Morgan, Andrew Neill, Jennie Bond, Richard Kay - as well as several of Diana's closest friends, and members of the British public. Produced by Steven Rajam and James Roberts for BBC Radio 4 Contributors: Andrew Neill Arthur Edwards Barbara Daly Bea Campbell David Emanuel David Starkey Denis Lawson Eammon McCabe Earl Spencer Elizabeth Emanuel Glenn Harvey James Naughtie James Reynolds James Whitaker Jennie Bond Jeremy Paxman John Humphrys Ken Lennox Martin Bashir Michael Shea Patrick Jephson Penny Juror Piers Morgan Rosie Boycott Tim Graham Tom Cruise Tony McGrath Archive: All Things Considered, BBC Radio Wales Archive on 4 - A History of the Stiff Upper Lip, BBC Radio 4 A Royal Recovery, BBC Radio 4 BBC News Special - Diana: 10 Years On, BBC News 24 Capturing the Royals: The Story of Royal Photography, BBC2 Decisive Moments: A Rough Road, BBC2 Diana: The People's Princess, BBC1 Great Britons: Diana, BBC2 Heart of the Matter, BBC1 Fifty Years with the Firm: Prog 5: Doom & Gloom, BBC Radio 4 Mediumwave, BBC Radio 4 Memories of Diana, BBC1 Modern Times: The Shrine, BBC4 Newsnight, BBC1 Panorama, BBC1 Proms, BBC1 The Princess's People: A View from the Crowd, BBC2 The Reunion: The Wedding of Charles & Diana, BBC Radio 4 The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4 Thinking Allowed: Remembering Diana, BBC Radio 4 Top of the Pops, BBC1 Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4.