EC&O Venues Earls Court And Olympia

Miss World will celebrate its 60th birthday with a tour of the UK culminating in 2011 Miss World Final in Earls Court, London – the city where it all began - on Sunday 6th November. 

Miss World’s journey started in 1951 during the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the River Thames when it aimed to find the most beautiful women in the world, judged by celebrities of the day Sir John Mills, Dame Gracie Fields and Bob Hope.  The first Miss World, Kiki Hakansson from Sweden, was chosen from 26 contestants and received a cheque for £1,000.  

60 years on, the star studded 2011 Miss World Final will bring together representatives from a record 122 countries, celebrity judges, former Miss Worlds and top entertainers which will be broadcast live to over 150 countries with a global audience of over 1 billion viewers.   It is now the most watched annual global event on TV and this event is expected to be the largest live entertainment broadcast from the United Kingdom.

Behind Miss World’s enduring popularity, there has always been a vigorous charitable purpose which has to date raised US$500m for global charity projects through the programme Beauty with a Purpose, set up almost 40 years ago by Julia Morley and run by Miss World participants. 

This year, over half the Miss World 2011 participants are in full time education studying for a degree, one in four are already graduates and 90% of the participants speak two or more languages.

The Miss World 2011 UK tour will begin in Scotland where participants will play golf at the world famous Gleneagles Hotel, host of the 2014 Ryder Cup, visit ancient Stirling Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned in 1543 and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Edinburgh Castle where they will experience the firing of the One O’Clock gun and a rousing ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony. 

Scotland will also host the Miss World Sports Challenge where participants will experience the traditional celebration of Scottish culture, a Highland Games, at Crieff Hydro Hotel.

The tour will then move to the University of Cambridge where Miss World participants will meet fellow undergraduates and take part in a debate at the Cambridge Union on the issue of social responsibility.  Following a guided tour around the world’s most famous university, they will take up a charity challenge of a punt race on the River Cam.

In London, participants will enjoy a Thames boat cruise to historic Greenwich, a tour of The Tower of London and a ride on one of the capital’s iconic landmarks, the London Eye.  The Miss World Charity Gala will take place on 31st October at The London Hilton Ballroom with all funds raised going to support sick and disadvantaged children through their Beauty with a Purpose programme.

Former Miss World contestants have gone on to a variety of successful careers including lawyers, doctors, teachers, fundraisers and actors who include Halle Berry, Lynda Carter, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh and Zilin Zhang, Aisharya Rai and Priyanka Chopra.  Miss World has had a unique relationship with the Bond franchise, with 12 going on to appear in Bond films.

PHOTOCALL / INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES – ACCREDITED MEDIA ONLY:

Monday 24th October, AM, Highland Games, Crieff Hydro, Perthshire, Scotland
Wednesday 26th October, PM, Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Monday 31st October, AM, London, England
Monday 31st October, PM, Miss World Beauty with a Purpose Charity Dinner, London, England
Sunday 6th November, PM, Miss World 2011 Final, Earls Court 2, London, England

PLEASE APPLY FOR PRESS ACCREDITATION FOR MISS WORLD 2011 USING THE ATTACHED FORM
ACCREDITION CLOSES MONDAY 17th OCTOBER

- Ends –

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
For more information / images / media accreditation requests please contact:
Katherine Clarke / Eleonore De Fournas
Sputnik Communications
katherine.clarke@sputnikcomms.co.uk / eleonore.defournas@sputnikcomms.co.uk
+44 (0) 20 7439 2780
OR press@missworld.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Beauty with a Purpose:  www.beautywithapurpose.com

Miss World 2011 participants: http://missworld.com/allcontestant2011.html

New participants in 2011: South Sudan, St Barts and Kyrgyzstan

Miss World 2011 and 60th Birthday celebrations will be broadcast live to over 150 countries
Famous Miss World participants:
- Halle Berry (1986 finalist), Hollywood actress
- Zilin Zhang (2007), one of China’s biggest stars and a face of L’Oreal
- Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh (1983 finalist), Hollywood actresses
- Aisharya Rai (1994) and Priyanka Chopra (2000), Bollywood’s two biggest female stars
- Ann Sidney (1964), British winner who went on to a successful TV and theatre career
- Wilnelia Merced Forsyth (1975), married to one of the UKs best loved entertainer’s Bruce Forsyth
- Lynda Carter (1972 finalist), Wonder Woman

For tickets to the Miss World 2011 Final at Earls Court on Sunday 6th November 2011 visit:
www2.seetickets.com