On 20th March 1974 a truly daring and frightening criminal plan, two years in the planning, was enacted: to kidnap HRH Princess Anne. What followed was an extraordinary bloody shootout, unfolding on the streets of London in the shadow of Buckingham Palace. Four men were shot as they attempted to protect the Princess from kidnapper, Ian Ball.
The documentary reveals this forgotten chapter of royal history, telling an enthralling story of how a cross-section of British society was thrown together through a random chain of events on that night. Using an innovative model, bespoke and specially-built, of the scene of the kidnapping – London’s The Mall – key witnesses recount the minutes of mayhem and violence, which would change the face of royal protection forever.
Princess Anne: The Plot To Kidnap A Royal is commissioned by Will Rowson. It has been produced by Leeds-based ClockWork Films and Motion Content Group; Directed by Laurence Turnbull. Executive Producers are ClockWork Film’s Heenan Bhatti and Motion Content Group’s Deep Sehgal. International sales are handled by Abacus Media Rights.
The film was funded by Channel 4 and Motion Content Group’s Diverse Indies Fund. The Diverse Indies Fund was set up to support small and medium-sized ethnically diverse-led independent production companies to produce new projects. The fund is overseen by Vivienne Molokwu, senior commissioning editor at Channel 4 and Deep Sehgal, head of Creative Diversity at Motion Content Group.
Will Rowson, Factual Commissioning Editor, said: “I’m delighted to be making this film with another, young Leeds indie. It’s one of those “how did I not know about this?” stories which ClockWork has approached with wit, sensitivity and ingenuity.”
Heenan Bhatti, Executive Producer and MD of ClockWork Films said: “I’m delighted that our talented team has been able to bring the company’s creative ambition to the fore in this bold piece of storytelling, bringing history into today’s digital world through a cutting-edge 3D visualisation. Thank-you to all our partners, particularly Channel 4 who have given us the space and support to take the creative risks needed to bring this film to the screen”.
Deep Sehgal, Executive Producer and Head of Creative Diversity at Motion Content Group said: “Motion are absolutely thrilled to be able to support Clockwork via the Diverse Indies Fund. Our unique partnership with Channel 4 clearly demonstrates the amazing talent of diverse-led companies and their ability to achieve mainstream success.’
