Amidst everything that has been going on in these testing times, it has been heartening to see how creativity is evolving and how the BBC is supporting creative organisations and audiences alike with incentives like the brilliant BBC Arts led Culture In Quarantine.
Very early on, the question of how BBC Four can also play its part in bringing the audience programmes with purpose has been top of my mind and we’re proud that we’re able to present a typically eclectic mix of educational, escapist and event television for the coming weeks.
Even in the shifting landscape of television and the much-vaunted growth of on-demand viewing, it’s been surprising just how successful BBC Four has continued to be. Over the last five years the channel’s share of viewing has actually grown, with audiences continuing to flock to our distinctive and singular mix of programming - they know what to expect from us and trust us to keep delivering under any circumstance.
But equally important is that we’ve always embraced the things that only linear television can do, working with BBC Arts and Music to create events that bring people across the country together in a single shared experience. As well as covering a range of festivals and sharing events of others such as the beautiful Tenebrae film over Easter and the forthcoming plans for Glastonbury, we’ve also crafted our own eclectic moments such as our much-loved Slow TV spectaculars (including this weekend’s glorious The Great Mountain Sheep Gather, if you haven’t seen it, I urge you to catch it on iPlayer) and our hosted Friday Music nights with stars as varied as Keith Richards and Bros.
The Great Mountain Sheep Gather
As controller of this eclectic arts and culture channel, I’ve always loved to celebrate the wonder of creativity in all its forms, with long-running strands such as Handmade detailing the precise details of the creation of everything from a glass jug to a Samurai sword, to huge audience appreciation.
With this as part of the channel’s DNA - TV event and celebrating creativity - we think there’s something really singular that we can bring to the current times. We’ve already pivoted a major part of the channels’ schedule to support the nation’s GCSE and A-Level students with premium factual programmes and high class theatre versions of Shakespeare plays from the RSC and recent BBC drama productions, now, we want to help facilitate the nation’s creative skills.
Earlier this year, we and the BBC Arts team whet the appetite with one of our most successful programmes yet: Life Drawing Live. In association with the Royal Academy and over two hours of live television we brought together a class of amateur life-drawers to develop their skills, while inviting viewers at home to draw along too. It was hugely successful with almost half a million viewers tuning in and sending us literally thousands of examples of their work.
So, as Jonty announced a few weeks back, we’re now bringing it back for Life Drawing Live under lockdown. The team at Avanti media are sharpening their pencils as we speak and the audience can once again experience life drawing from the comfort of their own living room. This time, the class will have to be a little different as we need to maintain that critical social distancing, but we can’t imagine a time when people might more appreciate a moment to join in creation with thousands of others.
Also, from next week, we’re starting to run Bob Ross’ seminal The Joy Of Painting series - a cult hit from the 1970’s and 80’s, Bob has already helped tens of thousands gain the confidence to pick up a brush with his gentle and conversational approach - not to mention a truly extraordinary hairdo of an era gone by. It’s a hidden gem that is both escapist TV and full of practical guidance and I urge you to get ready to take on some Bob’s landscapes and master the art, literally, of his “fluffy clouds” and “happy trees”.
Once our viewers have mastered the technique, they can feast their eyes on more famous artworks in our new four-part series Museums in Quarantine from BBC Arts, which will explore exhibitions and national collections now locked behind closed doors. Four of the channel’s most loved Art experts - Alistair Sooke, James Fox, Janina Ramirez and Simon Schama will all be giving us their own private tours of everything from Tate Britain to the British Museum.
And there’s still plenty more to come, at BBC Four we want to provide a space where, in these extraordinarily tough times, audiences can find a sanctuary of personal development and connection all at the touch of a remote. I hope to see you all sharing your pictures and joining us for that creative, Culture In Quarantine BBC Four journey.
