About this season
The biggest names from the world of art, film, music, literature and dance. Alan Yentob gets close up with those shaping today's cultural world.
Episodes (6)
1. The Voice of Bryn Terfel
Aired 12 November 2003 • 50 min
The internationally acclaimed Welsh bass baritone talks to Alan Yentob as the arts strand returns for a new, six-part run. As well as learning more about the technical aspects of Terfel's voice, Yentob watches him perform at the opera - but is he prepared to duet with the maestro?
2. A Very Funny Business
Aired 19 November 2003 • 50 min
A look at the process of remaking hit British sitcoms into mediocre US sitcoms.
3. Entertaining Mr Soane
Aired 26 November 2003 • 50 min
Born in 1753, Sir John Soane was the first great innovator of British architecture. Though only one of his creations remains intact, his influence resonates to this day. Alan Yentob’s arts strand continues with this drama-documentary - starring Corin Redgrave as Soane and Sam West as his student Wightwick - which tells the remarkable story of Soane's life.
4. The World According to Parr
Aired 3 December 2003 • 50 min
Martin Parr is widely considered to be the most influential photographer of his generation. His work portrays the British way of life in all its idiosyncratic detail - Women’s Institutes, bird-watching, and fish and chips - iconic images that make up a retrospective exhibition currently on a world tour. Alan Yentob takes Parr back to his suburban past to reveal the root of his inspiration.
5. From Pencils to Pixels
Aired 10 December 2003 • 50 min
The success of computer-created films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek has led to another “Golden Age” of animation. But does it spell the end for pencil-drawn animation? Toy Story’s John Lasseter and Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park are among those voicing their opinions.
6. An A-Z of the OED
Aired 17 December 2003 • 50 min
From the height of the British Empire right up to the digital age, Alan Yentob investigates the bizarre history of the Oxford English Dictionary, helped by poet Benjamin Zephaniah and author Julian Barnes.