Overview
- The one-hour documentary premiered in the U.K. at 9 p.m. GMT on December 22 and is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
- The film recounts the 2025 election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV through new interviews with participating cardinals, including Luis Antonio Tagle and Vincent Nichols.
- Critical reaction diverged, with The Times praising its humane, spiritual focus and The Independent calling it far less engaging than the fictional film Conclave.
- On-screen accounts highlight practical details of the conclave such as confiscated devices, plastered chapel floors, a hotel-room lottery, tailor preparations, and additives used to produce white or black smoke.
- Access remains contested, with Tom’s Guide relaying Vatican Media’s claim of “world-first” filming permission as reviewers emphasize that secrecy rules barred in-chapel coverage; no U.S., Canadian or Australian air dates are confirmed.