A Show Late Queen Elizabeth Loved So Much That She Could Even Recite Its One-Liners

The late Queen Elizabeth II was among the most beloved royals. Nearly two years ago, on September 8, 2022, Her Highness died peacefully at her Scottish estate in Balmoral, Scotland, at the age of 96. In her lifetime, the reigning Queen was famous for her sense of humor. However, after her death, people are now sharing more candid details of her life with her fans. In a story for The New Statesman, journalist Phil Jones recalled how the Queen told him in 2001 all about her favorite TV shows she loved to watch during a visit to Buckingham Palace. 

In his piece, he claimed that Her Majesty's favorite show was The Kumars at No. 42, and apparently, she was such a big fan of that show that she sometimes even recited its punchiest lines. Jones wrote, "In 2001 I was invited to a media function at Buckingham Palace. We chatted for ages, which I can tell you is rather surreal. My brain kept saying, 'Bloody hell I'm talking to the Queen and I can’t think of a single thing to say!'" 

"In the end, I alighted on, 'What's your favorite program?' Straightaway, she said it was The Kumars at No. 42 and, even more astonishingly, proceeded to recite some of the one-liners from the grandma character, played by the brilliant Meera Syal," he added. For those who may not know, the British television show ran from 2001 to 2006 and starred Sanjeev Bhaskar as Sanjeev Kumar in the role of an aspiring chat show host who called celebrity guests over to his house to talk to him. However, the madness begins when his family interrupts his chats and the guests end up mingling with them more than him (Sanjeev), per The Mirror. 

While The Kumars at No. 42 topped her list, it was speculated that the Queen enjoyed watching BBC One quiz show Pointless during her afternoon tea break as well. A palace insider in 2017 told presenter Alexander Armstrong that Her Majesty discovered the show in the 2010s and she was instantly hooked. "A palace insider told us that she watches it," Armstrong said while promoting the show's 1000th episode, per The Independent.  Strictly Come Dancing was among the other shows the Queen Elizabeth reported to have thoroughly enjoyed. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla paid a visit to the EastEnders for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and met the show's actor Rose Ayling-Ellis. Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf, asked Camilla, "Does the Queen watch Strictly Come Dancing?" She replied, "I think she does. She probably watched you." 

Additionally, it has been reported that the Queen was also a fan of Downtown Abbey. Brian Hoey, the author of At Home With The Queen, the Monarch watched the show that aired from 2011 to 2018, and "point[ed] out things they have got wrong, partly because she is familiar with Highclere Castle, where it is filmed." Antiques Roadshow is said to be another show that the late Queen would watch and in 2014, she even met with experts from the Ashow at Hillsborough Castle, her official residence in Northern Ireland.