The Makers Of
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D-Day 80 on ITV

CHALLENGE

How could the British Normandy Memorial position itself at the centre of D-Day 80 commemorations – an anniversary traditionally dominated by The Royal British Legion?

How could a relatively new national memorial:

  • Build public awareness at scale
  • Share its archive stories powerfully
  • Drive visitor numbers
  • Secure funding for a project of national significance

The ambition was to shift the centre of gravity of the commemoration.

CREATIVE SOLUTION

The Makers Of created the only major UK cultural event marking D-Day 80 – a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall, broadcast nationally on ITV.

Co-produced with TBI Media and presented by Davina McCall, the show brought real-life stories from the Memorial’s archives to life through music and performance.

High-profile talent including Lulu, Katherine Jenkins, Emeli Sandé, Toby Jones, Tamsin Greig and Sally Lindsay performed alongside dramatic readings and historical storytelling.

To engage younger audiences, we cast 23-year-old former Lance Corporal and BBC The Traitors winner Harry Clark, who visited the Memorial to meet his wartime namesake in an emotional Ancestry-funded film.

PLATFORM DESIGN

The commemoration was engineered as a multi-layered cultural platform:

  • Live event at the Royal Albert Hall
  • National ITV broadcast
  • Sponsorship integration with Ancestry
  • Broadcast bumpers and brand visibility
  • Standalone social-first edit of the Harry Clark film
  • Coordinated PR and media activation

The Memorial’s archive became prime-time storytelling.

FUNDING ARCHITECTURE 

The event was funded through a blended revenue model:

  • ITV broadcast commission
  • Corporate sponsorship from Ancestry
  • Ticket revenue from a sold-out Royal Albert Hall

The sponsorship allowed Ancestry to reach 1.5m core customers while aligning with remembrance storytelling.

This reduced reliance on charitable fundraising and positioned the Memorial as a cultural broadcaster – not just a heritage site.

IMPACT

  • 264% increase in footfall over D-Day period (160,000 visitors)
  • 1.5m core customers reached for Ancestry
  • 500k+ social content reach
  • Average £250k AVE media value across commemorative projects

A new national memorial positioned at the heart of a historic anniversary.