Wars and Peace
Wars and Peace explores art at war during the first half of the 20th century, War with the old imperial order, war with convention and with the very idea of what it means to be human. This is a story of artists grappling with the destruction, fighting back and transforming the culture of the Isles. Actress Michelle Fairley performs WB Yeats' poem, Easter 1916, with its resonant phrase ‘a terrible beauty is born', marking a turning of the tide against the British empire. Contemporary war photographer Oliver Chanarin traces the story of William Orpen's subversive protest image, To the Unknown British Soldier in France, picturing a lone draped coffin amid the magnificence of the Palace of Versailles where peace delegates met in 1919.
Some artists rejected war with their bohemian lifestyles or their utopian visions of a better future for the people. Artist Lachlan Goudie explores the great interwar ship-building project, the Queen Mary ocean liner, and the coming together in it of Glaswegian engineering and art deco luxury.
As refugees flee Germany in the 1930s ahead of a new war, comedian Eddie Izzard appreciates the radical modernist vision of the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, designed by a German and Russian Jewish émigrés, and photographer Hannah Starkey reflects on the outsider's point of view photographer Bill Brandt brought to his images of 1930s poverty, including the seminal Coal-Searcher Going Home to Jarrow.
With the Second World War bringing new horrors, artists grappled with Nazi atrocities. Film director Andrew MacDonald explores the controversy sparked by The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp, a highly original take on the British war effort written and produced by his grandfather Emeric Pressburger. Artist Ryan Gander examines how sculptor Barbara Hepworth tried to make sense of war by reaching for beauty in abstract human forms and Denzil Forrester looks ahead to the post-colonial aftermath of war, signalled by Indian artist FN Souza's suffering black Christ in his 1959 painting, Crucifixion.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Grantchester
Eavesdropping on the life of Sidney Chambers, a charismatic, charming, crime-fighting clergyman, and his partner in crime Police Inspector Geordie Keating, became a highlight for the audience who revelled in their on screen partnership. Geordie's plain-speaking, down to earth approach to policing complemented Sidney's more gentle technique of coaxing information from witnesses and suspects. Their unlikely pairing became a true friendship as each offered a different insight into the crimes they unravelled.
The Traitors
Set in a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands and based on the wildly popular Dutch series of the same name, 5-time Emmy-nominated Alan Cumming plays host to twenty larger-than-life personalities (including reality A-listers and America's best game players) who come together to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize of up to $250,000. The catch? Three of the contestants coined "the traitors" will devise a plan to steal the prize from the other contestants coined "the faithful".
Abbott Elementary
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
The Graham Norton Show
Chat show featuring celebrities, music and fabulous weirdness from the British public.
The Masked Singer
Part guessing game and part singing show, The Masked Singer sees 12 famous faces compete to pull off the best performance, with their identity elaborately and imaginatively concealed, thanks to an expert team of talented costume designers. The stars will be transformed and they will take on a masked identity and become a fantastic character which will disguise them for the whole series.
Forget any thoughts of fancy dress – they'll be full-on, original, movie-standard creations taking inspiration from worlds as varied as manga, superheroes, and wild animals and mythical creatures. Their transformations will be total, even their speaking voices will be disguised in interviews.
It will be up to a superstar panel to lead the viewers at home in their quest to discover who they are. Although the stars aren't judged on their voices, they'll still need to give their best performance – the audience's least favourite will be eliminated, before the panel try to guess their identity and unmask them.