Arena

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Theatre Premiere. Ronald Eyre reviews what's going on in the theatre, Kenneth Tynan talks to Laurence Olivier about Lilian…

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Art and Design George Melly looks at how they sold the 70's and a report on the opening of the Space…

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Theatre An interview with Howard Barker, author of 'Stripwell', and an extract from same; commentary by Kenneth Tynan; and…

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Art and Design Cartoonist Mel Caiman on the New Yorker magazine and its artists, Richard Hamilton at the Serpentine Gallery, and…

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Theatre 1h 30m Peter Hall talks about the history and new South Band location of the National Theater, where he is…

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Art and Design 1h 30m Features Observer critic William Feaver on Painting the End of the World, Bill Brandt's selection of landscape photography…

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Theatre 1h 30m Extract from a contemporary play and Kenneth Tynan opines.

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Art and Design 1h 30m Shirley Conran is the guest columnist; fashion photographer Barry Lategan is filmed working; and Victorian painter Edward Burne-Jones'…

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Theatre 1h 30m Deborah Norton reviews British stage events, a play extract, and Kenneth Tynan opines about the theatre.

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Art and Design Guest columnist Terry Measham; a look into the work of painter and poet Charles Tomlinson.

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Theatre Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova rehearse for a BBC New Year Gala Performance; Kenneth Tynan draws a portrait…

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Art and Design Filmmaker Roger Graef and journalist Simon Jenkins discuss the destruction of historical buildings, in light of a recent…

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Theatre Deborah Norton returns with reports, interviews and extracts from what is liveliest and best in the British theatrical…

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Art and Design

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Theatre Jonathan Miller introduces this week's look at what is most stimulating and enjoyable on the theatrical scene.

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Art and Design A look at American photographer Paul Strand and recent trends in British photography.

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Theatre Arena goes to Scarborough for the British premiere of a new Alan Ayckbourn play "Just Between Ourselves".

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Art and Design Arena looks at aspects of community art and the work of painter Keith Grant, artist-in-residence at the New…

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Theatre Claire Bloom and Kenneth Tynan discuss extracts from Samuel Beckett's 'Happy Days', George Bernard Shaw's 'Too True to…

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Art and Design Arena talks with Robert Janz and Dante Leonelli about incorporating time into sculpture.

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Theatre Arena brings extracts from Paris' contemporary theatre season, including Frank Wedekind's 'Lulu' and Marguerite Duras' 'Days in the…

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Art and Design Arena presents the work of British and American video artists.

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Theatre Barbara Jefford, Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, Kenneth Tynan Billie Whitelaw and many of the people behind the scenes…

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Art and Design Liverpool poet and painter Adrian Henry visits 'The Face of Merseyside'; Boyd and Evans use photographs as the…

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Theatre: Happy Birthday Royal Court Alumni of the Royal Court celebrate its 20th anniversary.

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Art and Design: Art for Money's Sake? Barrie Penrose investigates a multi-national art empire and the artists and methods that created it.

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Edinburgh International Festival 1976: Part 1 Features Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Galina Visnevskaya in the Scottish Opera's production of Macbeth, The Kantor Theatre Company from Poland,…

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Edinburgh International Festival 1976: Part 2 Features the La Mama Theatre Company from New York; Bunraku, traditional Japanese Puppet Theatre; a recital by Frederica…

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Edinburgh International Festival 1976: Part 3 Writer Germaine Greer and her god-daughter Ruby take a look at a child's Edinburgh Festival and some of…

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Theatre: A Dream Come True A look at the opening of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

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Robert Altman Gavin Miller interviews the director Robert Altman on "M*A*S*H", "Nashville", "Buffalo Bill and the Indians" and more.

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Art and Design: After Samuel Palmer David Gould, the expert who discovered Tom Keating's Samuel Palmer imitations, shows the process of identifying and analyzing…

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Frank Westmore Gavin Millar talks with Frank Westmore, whose family has dominated the make-up departments of American cinema for decades.

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Theatre Peter Shaffer, writer of 'Equus', talks about his plays, his life and the theatre with an excerpt from…

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Cinema: Eric Rohmer Gavin Millar interviews director Eric Rohmer about 'Die Marquise von O', 'Claire's Knee' and 'Love in the Afternoon'.

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Art and Design: The Illustrators: The Work of Mick Brownfield and Allan Manha British illustrators Mick Brownfield and Allan Manham are documented working on their current projects; Artist Chris Orr probes…

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Cinema: Don Siegel Don Siegel, director of 'The Shootist', 'Charley Varrick', 'Coogan's Bluff', 'Dirty Harry' and many other violent thrillers talks…

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Theatre: The Cultural Common Market A look at Theatre National Populaire, one of France's leading theaters, and Patrice Chéreau's 'La Dispute' by Marivaux…

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Cinema In light of the low proportion of British films in the 20th London Film Festival, Gavin Millar looks…

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Art and Design: Sculpture for the Blind/Linda Benedict-Jones/James Boswell Sculpture for the Blind - a special Tate Gallery exhibition; Linda Benedict-Jones, photographer; James Boswell - a revival…

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Cinema Arena speaks with Spanish directors at the Madrid premiere of 'The Long Vacation of 36'.

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Theatre: Brecht in Newcastle 20th anniversary tribute to Bertolt Brecht at Newcastle's University Theatre with scenes from 'The Good Woman of Setzuan'…

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Cinema: Christmas Special A look at the Disney exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum; an interview with 'The Ritz' director…

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Cinema Gavin Millar talks to Mel Brooks just before the London release of 'Silent Movie'.

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Art and Design: Sam Smith: Genuine England/Arena Review An introduction to the magical world of wood-sculptor Sam Smith, plus a look at one of this month's…

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Cinema Gavin Miller talks to director Martin Ritt, writer Walter Bernstein, and actors Woody Allen and Zero Mostel about…

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Theatre: Spokesong/At Home with Mole An interview with Stewart Parker about his new musical 'Spokesong' with excerpt; a profile of 81 year old…

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Cinema A fortnightly look at the big screen at home and abroad. News, views and interviews presented by Gavin…

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Art and Design: Ralph Steadman Ralph Steadman illustrates a children's anti-war story, caricatures at his local pub, and speaks about his drawing techniques…

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Cinema Gavin Miller discusses 'Network' with director Sidney Lumet and Robert Kee; Alberto Cavalcanti talks about his film career…

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Theatre: The Cultural Common Market: Peter Stein and the Schaubuhne Peter Stein, director of Die Schaubuhne theatre co-operative, comes to London with his Shakespeare Project. Includes extracts from…

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Cinema Gavin Millar talks to New Yorker critic Pauline Kael about Costa-Gavras' 'Z' and 'Section Speciale', along with her…

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Art and Design: What Is a Hologram?/Kit Williams - Ring Around the Moon Arena investigates holograms and their potential in the arts; artist Kit Williams' vivid folklore paintings.

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Cinema On the occasion of the release of the third film version of 'A Star is Born', James Mason…

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Theatre: A Night Out Arena visits three theatres - the Mercury Theater in Colchester, the Humberside Theatre in Hull, and the Duke's…

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Cinema A look at Ealing Studios, including excerpts of many of their popular films.

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Art and Design: Family Pieces/Both Sides of the Line/The Divine and the Fantastic Portrait painter Philip Sutton; Helmut Weissenborn, a German WWI soldier who illustrated with wood engravings the war diary…

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Cinema In a special edition from Rome, Gavin Millar interviews Bernardo Bertolucci, director of 'Last Tango in Paris' and…

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Theatre: The Prospect Before Us Prospect Theatre Company reopens the Old Vic. Includes rehearsal footage from 'St Joan', 'Hamlet', 'Antony and Cleopatra', and…

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Cinema Gavin Millar talks to director Bernardo Berolucci in Rome about '1900', his new five and a half hour…

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Art and Design: The Continuous Diary/Dine's Drawings The artist Ian Breakwall gave up painting for the art of a daily diary; Jim Dine explains why…

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Cinema Arena looks at erotic films, including 'Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus', 'Hardcore', and 'Come Play With Me'.

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Cinema An interview with Sophia Loren on the occasion of the opening of 'The Cassandra Crossing'.

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Cinema Mr Universe, the Crazy Horse Girls de Paris, Yum Yum Shaw, superstars with police escorts, topless bathing beauties-the…

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Theatre: Playwrights of the 70's In the last ten years an astonishing number of new writers have emerged. Plays by Barrie Keeffe, John…

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Edinburgh Festival Features the 1977 Edinburgh International Festival with a new production of Carmen, the experimental shows, Film Festival, Television…

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Cinema with Gavin Millar returns for a new season after a visit to Hollywood, which despite rumours of slump…

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Cinema

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Art and Design

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Cinema Diane Keaton and Woody Allen talk about the filming of 'Annie Hall' and their long friendship.

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Theatre

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Cinema: Greece

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Art and Design: Richard Seifert

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Cinema

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Theatre: Hands Off the Classics In the 17th century Troilus and Cressida was censored and in the 18th century Tate gave King Lear…

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Cinema: 21st London Film Festival

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Art and Design: The Family/Wrapping up the Reichstag

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Cinema: 21st London Film Festival - Part 2

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Theatre: Leonard Rossiter

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Cinema: The Deep

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Cinema: The Force is with us? Star Wars - the biggest and fastest money-maker in the history of the movies - has opened in…

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Art and Design: 'The Journey' or The Memoirs of a Self-Confessed Surrealist George Melly explores his lifelong relationship with surrealism in all its forms and prominent personalities; Henry Moore discusses…

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Cinema: The Force is with us? - Part 2/Howard Hawks The Force is with us? Star Wars - the biggest and fastest money-maker in the history of the…

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Theatre: ' But please, this is a farce! ' The story of The Cherry Orchard But please, this is a farce! ' The story of The Cherry Orchard CHEKHOV: '... It hasn't turned…

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Cinema: Joseph Conrad A British film The Duellists starring Keith Carradine , Harvey Keitel and Albert Finney won the Special Jury…

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Art and Design: Carrington

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Cinema: Claude Renoir

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Theatre: Hey Kids! Let's Do the Show Right Here ...

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind

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Art and Design: Carl Andre

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Cinema: Dancing Years

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Theatre: Taking Our Time

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Art and Design: Way Out West

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Theatre: Children of the Gods

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Television: When Is A Play Not A Play? A tribute to the British filmmaker Alan Clarke (1935-1990).

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Art and Design: George Melly

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Theatre: Arnold Wesker

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Rock: Tubes on Tour

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Episode 99 Last Saturday in the Francois Truffaut Season now running on BBC2, "L'Enfant Sauvage", one of his masterpieces, was…

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Vanessa Redgrave 'She is a creature of fire and light, her voice a golden gate opening on lapis lazuli hinges,…

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Arena: Cinema Hooray for Hollywood? Gavin Millar talks to: Christopher Isherwood has been a Hollywood immigrant for 40 years and…

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Arena: Cinema A new British film has its Royal Premiere tomorrow. It is an English period film and vividly demonstrates…

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Arena: Cinema This year's London Film Festival contained five entries from India. It's a reminder that we hardly see any…

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Arena: The Museum of Drawers Arena takes you on a guided tour of the smallest museum in the world - its 'curator', Swiss…

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On Photography Featuring two of the greatest photographers of the 20th century Jacques Henri Lartigue began taking photographs at the…

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Arena: Cinema Gavin Millar presents another edition in his regular series about the cinema today.

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Arena: Cinema Gavin Millar talks to Robert Alt man about his new film A Wedding; plus Karel Reisz 's Dog…

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Who is Poly Styrene? wo years ago Marion Elliott , a 20-year-old from Brixton, gave up working in Woolworths and became punk…

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Athol Fugard: A Lesson from Aloes Aloe: a genus of plant indigenous to South Africa, noted for its ability to survive under the most…

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Arena: Cinema Assault on Precinct 13 and Dark Star were two of the ' sleepers ' of the last two…

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Maler's Requiem - Words and Images Fibreglass carcasses, a flaming typewriter, and a troop of girl guides - each has been a -key ingredient…

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Piaf AND What Did You Do in 'The Warp' Daddy? The sell-out success of this year's Royal Shakespeare season at Stratford is the musical play, Piaf. Jane Lapotaire,…

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Arena: Cinema John Barry (designer Star Wars and Superman) is now directing Saturn 3. Ridley Scott (The Duellists) is shooting…

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Other Writers Will Tell You Different and The Moving Picture Mime Show Other Writers Will Tell You Different.... Lifers in prison cages, comedians in Hollywood, adolescents in the East End…

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Arena: Cinema Isabelle Huppert is 23 - ' a stunning actress ', says Claude Chabrol ; 'Best Actress ' at…

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Ubu The television premiere of GEOFF DUNBAR'S brilliant animation film. Based on ALFRED JARRY's notorious surrealist hero, Pere Ubu…

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My Way Q. What do the following have in common? Frank Sinatra, Sid Vicious, Dorothy Squires, Barry John, Paul Anka,…

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Arena: Cinema Twenty-three years ago Don Siegel made his famous horrorpic Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Now there is a…

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La Dame aux Gladiolas Arena presents The Agony and the Ecstasy of Edna Everage In this, the first-ever exclusive Arts Documentary about…

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'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men ': Alabama 40 Years On At the height of the American depression in the summer of 1936, t writer JAMES AGEE and photographer…

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Arena: Cinema with Gavin Millar. Everybody knows about Kung Fu, Run Run Shaw and Bruce Lee. They probably know less…

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Tell Us the Truth Rock band Sham 69 have a large and loyal following of working-class kids, who call themselves 'The Sham…

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The King and I AND Journey to the Surface of the Earth The King and I For David Oxtoby, Elvis is king. He's been painting rock 'n' roll stars since…

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Their Lips are Sealed Arena presents a film about the strange art of ventriloquism with Tattersall and his amazing life-size doll.

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Steel Pulse A film about the popular reggae band Steel Pulse, Whose highly successful debut album ' Handsworth Revolution' launched…

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Ring Around the Moon The Paintings of Kit Williams Inspired by the landscape, the wildlife and by his village neighbours, artist Kit…

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Pictures of the Mind One in six people in Britain will spend some time in a mental hospital. For 50 years, painting…

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Six Days in September John Hoyland is reckoned by many both here and abroad to be this country's finest abstract painter. A…

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Building for Change Arena presents a profile of Richard Rogers, one of the most original and controversial talents in architecture today.…

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Athol Fugard A Lesson from Aloes Athol Fugard is the author of such celebrated plays as The Blood-knot, The Island and Sizwe Bansi is…

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Lene Lovich Sleeping Beauty Formerly a professional screamer in horror films, a belly-dancer in the Middle East, Lene Lovich has now emerged…

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Mentioned in Dispatches Arena presents the extraordinary story of Tim Page, war photographer and Vietnam legend-a tale first told in MICHAEL…

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Isaac Singer's Nightmare and Mrs Pupko's Beard Arena presents a hilarious and touching portrait of the great Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, filmed on location…

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Peggy Taub, the Learned Goat and Other People ... This week Arena features two highly-individual women artists. Peggy Taub has always wanted to sculpt like the classic…

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Bring Me Back a Song Irish folk music is one of the oldest unbroken cultural traditions in Europe. As the Sense of Ireland…

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' I talk about me - I am Africa' The growth of black consciousness through the 1970s has produced an explosion of original new theatre in black…

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Rudies Come Back or The Rise and Rise of 2-Tone Adrian Thrills investigates a new and exhilarating musical blend which is taking the country by storm. 2-tone is…

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Working At It A profile of Liverpool playwright Alan Bleasdale With two new productions packing them in, in the North of…

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Victoria Wood and Andrea Dunbar As prizewinning writer/performer Victoria Wood opens in her latest play, Good Fun, Arena looks at her talent to…

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Climb Every Mountain or Nothing Succeeds Like Failure "Failure can be fun' is the motto of self-confessed failures David McGillivray and Stephen Pile (above-if RADIO TIMES…

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Double Vision The story of an unusual collaboration between rock musician Brian Eno and artist illustrator Russell Mills. The 65…

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Dedicated Followers of Fashion featuring "Where Did You Get That Hat?" The outrageous hats of designer David Shilling, modelled by his mother…

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Luck and Flaw One after another mighty politicians have fallen victim to the savage caricatures of Peter Fluck and Roger Law…

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In Their Own Image AND Facing Up to Myself In Their Own Image Two women photographers turn the camera on themselves ... Time Release For over a…

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Making 'The Shining' Stanley Kubrick's long-awaited film The Shining opens in London this week and throughout the country from tomorrow. To…

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Dire Straits Not so long ago they were playing in London pubs. This week - 16 platinum discs, 21 gold…

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Chelsea Hotel It was in the Chelsea Hotel, New York, that Bob Dylan wrote 'Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands', Andy…

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Hazell Meets His Makers Arena eavesdrops on the writing of a new adventure for James Hazell , popular cockney private eye. He…

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Getting Away from Sidney ' Uncle Sidney' is the kindly old soul in charge of an institute for the disabled: he tucks…

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Private Worlds This week two genuinely, original English artists introduce you to their work: Sam Smith , whose impeccably carved…

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Today Carshalton Beaches ... Tomorrow Croydon Arena investigates the grass-roots of rock today with John Peel and John Walters ' When the punk thing…

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Edward Hopper Arena marks a major retrospective exhibition at London's Hayward Gallery with a film about the great American realist…

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Stages For the past ten years Peter Brook and his unique company of actors have travelled the world with…

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The Smallest Theatre Tonight, from a converted cowshed in the wilds of Scotland, Arena presents The Smallest Theatre in Great Britain.…

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Huston's Hobby There were these five guys round the table: the Lightweight Boxing Champion of California; an expert on Pre-Columbian…

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A Walk with Amos Oz ' Marching the streets of Jerusalem in 67, carrying a sub-machine-gun, I was in an absurd way acting…

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God's Fifth Columnist "I don't go out much these days, and when I do I find life infinitely dreary compared to…

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Did You Miss Me ...? ' It suddenly dawned on me that I was absolutely broke, completely and utterly. I didn't have a…

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The Return of Lupino Lane Lupino Lane , the man who made ' The Lambeth Walk ' famous, was a comic who once…

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The Comic Strip Hero This week Arena patrols the skies above Metropolis in search of the legend that is SUPERMAN ... Meet…

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Arena on Clair Clair thought of himself as a screenwriter as well as a director. He put his stamp on French…

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow As a child, trapped in a crazy Jewish household in a poor Chicago tenement, the American artist Robert…

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If the Music Had to Stop Britain's musical reputation is second to none, and depends ultimately on an exceptional tradition of youth orchestras. The…

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Curtains? The Future of the National Youth Theatre Derek Jacobi, Helen Mirren, Martin Jarvis, playwrights Peter Terson and Barrie Keefe - all products of the National…

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The Cinema of Andrzej Wajda For 25 years the Polish film director ADRZEJ WAJDA has been making some of the most exciting and…

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'I Thought I Was Taller' A Short History of Mel Brooks From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills - the life and times of a great comic film director. Tonight on…

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Have You Seen the Mona Lisa...? She is two-and-a-half feet tall and nearly 500 years old. She hangs in The Louvre behind plate-glass -…

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Let Them Know We're Here When JOINT STOCK began their latest project four months ago, they had a writer but no script, actors…

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A Pretty British Affair Only a short while ago Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were forgotten names in cinema history. Now, some…

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The Art of Radio Times AND The Eye of the 'Eye' This week, a total contrast in visual style-the art of RADIO TIMES and the jaundiced eye of Private…

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A Tall Story: How Salman Rushdie Pickled All India Arena profiles one of the most dazzling literary talents of recent years - Saiman Rushdie , a storyteller…

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Brixton to Barbados Reggae has its roots in Jamaica, and has found a home in Britain. But there are over 60…

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Private Life of the Ford Cortina A ski run in Italy, a supermarket manager in Luton, a sandwich bar in London EC2, Arena opens…

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What Makes Rabbit Run? John Updike 's new book, Rabbit is Rich, is the third in the Rabbit series from the author…

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Here They Kill People for It Osip Mandelstam, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, died in a prison camp somewhere in…

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True to Life? In a month of continuing controversy about the aims and methods of the ' documentary', Arena presents a…

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Desert Island Discs ' I love its homeliness. It conjures up the best in traditional British pleasure, like the great British…

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Listen to Britain AND Housing Problems Presents two classic films from the early days of documentary. Featured in last month's True to Life? edition,…

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The Orson Welles Story: Part One Arena presents an exclusive film profile in two parts of one of the great legends of the cinema.…

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The Orson Welles Story: Part Two 'I should never have stayed in movies. But it's a mistake I can't regret because it's like saying…

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Mike Leigh Making Plays Mike Leigh is a dramatist in a tradition of his own, a fiercely original talent whose work and…

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A Genius Like Us In April 1967 at the peak of his career as a dramatist, Joe Orton was murdered by his…

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A Play for Bridport One of the most spectacular and unlikely theatre events of last year took place a long way from…

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Upon Westminster Bridge It is commonly thought that poets are university-trained intellectuals who occasionally produce slim volumes about their personal feelings.…

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Three Steps to Heaven Classics like ' Summertime blues , 'C'mon everybody' and Three steps to heaven' made Eddie Cochran one of…

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Angus McBean For nearly 50 years everybody who was anybody in the British theatre passed before the lens of Angus…

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Happy Days (Samuel Beckett Season) by Samuel Beckett Starring Billie Whitelaw With Leonard Fenton Arena presents the first programme in a Samuel Beckett…

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Eh Joe (Samuel Beckett Season) Continues the Samuel Beckett season. Starring Jack MacGowran A rare opportunity to see an early television premiere. Recorded…

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Rockaby (Samuel Beckett Season) Arena continues the Samuel Beckett Season with a unique record of his new play Rockaby which has just…

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Not I (Samuel Beckett Season) Continues the Samuel Beckett Season. In one of the most extraordinary pieces of modern drama Billie Whitelaw, Beckett's…

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Quad (Samuel Beckett Season) Continues the Samuel Beckett Season with a premiere. A play without words. Quad has a musical structure. It…

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Krapp's Last Tape (Samuel Beckett Season) Concludes the Samuel Beckett Season. One of the best-known Beckett monologues starring its creator, the late Patrick Magee.…

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Guernica: The Long Exile Last year a £13-million painting travelled in top secret from America to Spain. Next day it was headline…

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Classically Cuban: Alicia Alonso and the Cuban National Ballet Today, in post-revolutionary Cuba, under the benign patronage of Fidel Castro, classical ballet thrives. This unlikely success story…

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Hair Tonight Arena takes you on a tour of contemporary British heads, from the exotic to the mundane, from…

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Boulez Now Pierre Boulez, leading composer of the post-war generation, later a powerful and innovative conductor, is now the head…

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Jazz Juke Box George Melly presents films of the greatest names of swing jazz - but with a difference. Some were…

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Burroughs Widely regarded as one of the greatest literary figures of the century, William Burroughs has perfected a unique…

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The Catherine Wheel Tonight Arena presents one of the most ambitious dance projects ever seen on television. The Catherine Wheel combines…

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Kurt Vonnegut Writing about his experiences as a war prisoner in Dresden in the novel Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut achieved a…

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It's All True Tonight Arena takes an extraordinary journey through the video age. Video pirates, video trials, video weddings, video graves....…

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Luis Bunuel The great Luis Bunuel died last month. Born in 1900, he was undisputably one of the outstanding creative…

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Bette Davis - The Benevolent Volcano Dear boy, you are out of your mind, this woman will annihilate you, she will grind you to…

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Anthony Powell - An Invitation to the Dance Anthony Powell's 12-volume epic, A Dance to the Music of Time, is widely regarded as the most formidable…

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The Ghost Writer Starring Claire Bloom, Sam Wanamaker from the novel by Philip Roth with Mark Linn Baker, Paulette Smit 'You're…

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Jazz Juke-Box II Following the success of Jazz Juke-Box I, George Melly presents another selection of jazz shorts and ' soundies…

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Roman Vishniac Roman Vishniac is a Russian Jew born in St Petersburg in 1897. His striking images of life in…

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Classic British Documentaries Arena shows three film classics from the early years of British documentary, which began 50 years ago.

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The GPO Story The GPO Film Unit-50 years old this year-went where no Hollywood film studio would dare to go in…

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The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert An Arena special Last September at the Royal Albert Hall Don and Phil Everly performed together for the…

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George Orwell 1: Such Such Were the Joys George Orwell is one of the greatest writers England has produced. Tonight and for the next four nights…

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George Orwell 2: The Road to Wigan Pier Tonight's episode of the five-part Arena biography tells the story of Orwell's marriage to Eileen O'Shaughnessy , his…

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George Orwell 3: Homage to Catalonia Orwell, like many of his generation, enlisted to fight on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.…

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George Orwell 4: The Lion and the Unicorn For a brief period after the Spanish Civil War, Orwell was a revolutionary socialist, violently opposed to the…

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George Orwell 4: Nineteen Eighty-four The last in this series of Arena films about the life and work of George Orwell begins with…

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Say Amen Someone Tonight's Arena Special tells the extraordinary story of two of the legendary figures of American 'gospel' -the music…

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Four Rooms ANTHONY CARO: 'I wanted to play games with our sense of space ... you experience this room with…

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The Theatre of Dario Fo Dario Fo is unique in world theatre. Playwright, actor, clown, teacher and philosopher, he is an international celebrity…

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Sunset People Tonight Arena takes a journey down one of the best known streets in the world. Sunset Boulevard stretches…

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The Caravaggio Conspiracy On 29 June 1982 a man called John Blake appeared mysteriously bidding in the major auction houses of…

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Between Dreaming and Waking David Inshaw belongs to a great tradition of English Romantic Painting - the tradition of Stanley Spencer, Samuel…

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Ken Russell 's Elgar Tonight, in the anniversary year of Edward Elgar 's death, Arena plays host to KEN RUSSELL 'S classic…

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Jerry Lee Lewis For the first time on British television, Arena presents a concert by this great legend of rock n…

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True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist Breyten Breytenbach writes about being an Afrikaner. His poetry was taught in schools and his paintings greatly admired.…

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My Dinner with Louis Tonight Arena profiles the French film director Louis Malle. Malle is a director who has never let himself…

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Milan Kundera- Laughter and Forgetting From the vantage point of his Paris flat, the Czech writer Milan Kundera still obsessively contemplates Prague, the…

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A Tribute to Joseph Losey American-born writer and director Joseph Losey died last month in London. He made his home in England in…

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Beat This! A Hip Hop History Tonight Arena presents a musical entertainment set in the streets of New York City, an epic rap which…

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The Everly Brothers: Songs of Innocence and Experience Taught to sing from their earliest years, the brothers were raised in a unique cross-current of musical influences,…

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Billie Holiday: The Long Night of Lady Day Tonight Arena presents the first film portrait of the greatest of all the jazz singers. Billie Holiday's tragic…

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Eubie Blake The legendary Eubie Blake 's career as a ragtime pianist and composer began in 1883. Sadly last year,…

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Francis Bacon To mark his 75th birthday, Arena presents this exclusive film portrait of the great British painter, Francis Bacon.…

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We Don't Like Your House Either! This week: a portrait of one of the most individual architectural talents America has produced. Bruce Goff discovered…

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Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense: The Music of Fela Kuti Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is the most popular and controversial musician ever to come out of Africa. Born in Nigeria…

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After the Rehearsal Arena presents the British premiere of Ingmar Bergman 's new film After the Rehearsal. Written and directed by…

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What's Cuba Playing At? In the 25th anniversary year of the Revolution, Arena traces the Afro-Spanish roots of Cuba's rich musical history.…

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Music of the other Americas Every November musicians from all over Latin America come to take part in the international music festival at…

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Pavarotti at Madison Square Garden For many Luciano Pavarotti is the world's greatest tenor - certainly his place is assured among the legends…

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My Son the Novelist Howard Jacobson the eldest son of MAX JACOBSON the Manchester conjuror, made a late but successful start in…

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Painting for Pleasure ... and Profit: Five Artists of the 80s The artists Julian Schnabel , Markus Lupertz , Sandro Chia , Francesco Clemente and Georg Baselitz command some…

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Marcel Carne Arena this week presents a profile of the man many would consider the greatest living French film director.…

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From an Immigrant's Notebook: Karen Blixen in Africa Karen Blixen's voyage to Africa in 1913 was a journey away from the 20th century. Kenya was then…

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How Glorious is the Garden? Tonight Arena and Newsnight join forces to mount a major studio debate between the embattled factions of the…

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Old Kent Road From Chaucer's pilgrims to inter-continental juggernauts, generations of travellers have taken this historical route from Dover to the…

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Ligmalion A Musical for the 80s starring Tim Curry, Sting, Alexei Sayle, Gary Glitter and introducing Jason Carter To…

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Them and Uz: A film about Tony Harrison Tony Harrison is the son of a baker, and his poetry relishes, and mourns for the class he…

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Marc Chagall One of the greatest masters of 20th-century painting died last month at the age of 97. This filmed…

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Watch Me Move... 'America gave to the world two original art forms: one was jazz, the other was full character animation'…

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Hugh Masekela: The African Ambassador Hugh Masekela 's career as a musician has been dominated by his determination to take the music of…

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The Theatre of Robert Wilson Robert Wilson is one of the most revered and controversial talents in contemporary theatre. He first came to…

251

Blues Night: Introduction Tonight Arena presents a cornucopia of the blues from the raw sounds of the Mississippi Delta to the…

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Blues Night: Sonny Boy Williamson Sings Blues Night presents rare footage of the harmonica blues player Sonny Boy Williamson, who gave B.B. King his…

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Blues Night: B.B. King Speaks John Walters talks to B.B. King - aided by his guitar Lucille - about his extraordinary life, from…

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Blues Night: Chicago Blues Harley Cokliss’ classic blues documentary includes performances by Muddy Waters, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, and shows how…

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Blues Night: Blind John Davis The great Chicago broadcaster and journalist Studs Terkel and pianist Blind John Davis meet in a downtown bar…

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Blues Night: Blues Medley This medley of the blues features Fred McDowell, Thomas 'Georgia Tom' Dorsey, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Huddie…

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Blues Night: Big Bill Blues Hard blues meets film noir as Big Bill Broonzy sings and plays in a Belgian nightclub back in…

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Buddy Holly An Arena Special. Lubbock is a small town lost in the great plains of west Texas. Her most…

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Saint Genet Tonight Arena presents a unique interview with one of the great figures of 20th-century literature, Jean Genet. His…

260

The Accordion Strikes Back What do Charles Dickens , Count Leo Tolstoy , Barry Manilow and James Anderton , Chief Constable of…

261

The Cinema of Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi is one of the foremost figures in post-war Italian cinema. His films have an epic sweep…

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The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima Yukio Mishima was one of the outstanding writers of his generation. Nominated three times for the Nobel Prize,…

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The Apollo Story: part 1 The list of artists who have performed at Harlem's Apollo Theater reads like a Who's Who of black…

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The Apollo Story: part 2 Harlem's Apollo Theater has been the ultimate testing ground for every black American performer from Duke Ellington to…

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Tosca's Kiss Casa Verdi is a rambling mansion in the city of Milan, inhabited by an extraordinary and captivating group…

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The New Babylon Arena presents the first television showing of a rare and extraordinary classic of the silent cinema, with an…

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Tango Mio That most erotic and mysterious of dances, the tango, came to life in the suburbs and backstreets of…

268

Cinderella From its origins in ninth-century China to its modern incarnation as a Christmas pantomime, Cinderella has endured as…

269

The Journey Man Behind the quiet, gentlemanly exterior of Norman Lewis lies the acute Perception of one of Britain's foremost travel…

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Go-Go in Washington DC The home of the White House, the Pentagon and the President is also the home of the most…

271

Marguerite Yourcenar Novelist, poet, essayist and the first woman to be elected to the Academie Francaise, Marguerite Youreenar lives and…

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Louise Brooks The American film actress Louise Brooks, who died last summer, was one of the most celebrated beauties in…

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Kurosawa In 1950 the Grand Prix of the prestigious Venice Film Festival went quite unexpectedly to a Japanese film.…

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Two Painters Amazed Critical acclaim for a group of recent art school graduates has put Scottish art, and Glasgow in particular,…

275

Home Front Don McCullin 's powerful pictures of the horrors of war and deprivation have made him one of the…

276

Caribbean Nights: Caribbean Journey Linton Kwesi Johnson takes a trip home to Jamaica and files a personal report on the long-standing relationship…

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Caribbean Nights: Medley Calypso from Trinidad's Mighty Bomber, dancing from Nicaragua, Jamaican Bob Marley's 'Could you be loved', Grenadian poet Abdul…

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Caribbean Nights: Poetry The celebrated West Indian poet Derek Walcott joins Linton Kwesi Johnson and Guyanese prodigy Fred D'Aguiar to debate…

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Caribbean Nights: Ska Out of the archives, a skanking delight from Kingston's Sombrero Club, 1964. Featuring Prince Buster, Toots and the…

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Caribbean Nights: The Latin Caribbean Darcus Howe interviews leading Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes and Trinidadian historian John La Rose on the exotic and…

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Caribbean Nights: Maytime on the Mosquito Coast Despite the dangers and deprivations of war, the people of Bluefields, Nicaragua, still find time to do the…

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Caribbean Nights: Calypso and Carnival Fuentes, La Rose and Howe are joined in the studio by this year's Calypso King David Rudder who…

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Caribbean Nights: Whicker's Caribbean World From the BBC treasure chest, Alan Whicker explores the forgotten comers of the Caribbean, where he meets the…

284

Caribbean Nights: Latin Sound Filmed on his recent visit to London, Panamanian salsa star and politician Ruben Blades talks to Linton Kwesi…

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Caribbean Nights: God's Chillun A bedtime treat from 1936: the GPO Film Unit present the Caribbean through the words of W.H. Auden…

286

Caribbean Nights Bob Marley A portrait of the man who made reggae known and appreciated all over the western world and who…

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Caribbean Nights: C.L.R. James's First Cricket XI Born in Trinidad in 1901, C.L.R. James came to England in the 1930s and was cricket correspondent for…

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Caribbean Nights: Danzon In an old church in Havana, the Urfe brothers play Danzones, the first popular Cuban music to emerge…

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Caribbean Nights: Rasta and the Ball According to reggae greats Bob Marley and Burning Spear, football and Rastafari are one and the same thing.…

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Caribbean Nights: Arturo Sandoval Cuban jazz is rarely heard over here. Tonight Arena redresses the balance with a performance by virtuoso trumpeter,…

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Caribbean Nights: Kapo 'I dreamt there were 72 angels, 72 trumpets, 72 vases of flowers - all things were 72. And…

292

Henry Moore Speaking from Henry Moore's own studio in Perry Green, Hertfordshire, John Read shares his personal memories of the…

293

Salvador Dali 'The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad.' So says Salvador Dali…

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The Life and Times of Don Luis Bunuel Following last night's story of Salvador Dali, Arena continues it's Spanish trilogy with this highly-acclaimed profile of the…

295

The Spirit of Lorca Federico Garcia Lorca, perhaps the best-known and loved Spanish poet and dramatist of this century, was brutally executed…

296

Cambodian Witness When the Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, they forced the entire population into the countryside…

297

Scarfe on Scarfe In this week's Arena Gerald Scarfe takes a long, hard look at himself. In his paintings and drawings…

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Night Moves Fifty years ago Basil Wright and Harry Watts' classic documentary "Night Mail" celebrated the role of the railways…

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Dylan Arena presents Bob Dylan, concentrating on his classic songs and backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in…

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Stand by Your Dream: Tammy Wynette Tonight Arena presents the moving story of the first lady of country music. At the age of 44…

301

Night and Day Night and Day is a 24-hour journey through the streets of London spent in the company of two…

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Dennis Potter 'You can open your veins on television more easily than anywhere. It's the last stronghold for the individualist-writer.'…

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Martin Chambi and the Heirs of the Incas Tonight Arena tells the story of one of the most extraordinary photographers of the 20th century. Martin Chambi…

304

The Confessions of Robert Crumb After Robert Crumb , comics could never be the same again. He came to fame in the mid…

305

Ruth, Roses and Revolver David Lynch , director of some of the strangest films in today's cinema, including Eraserhead and Elephant Man,…

306

A Brother with Perfect Timing Abdullah Ibrahim formerly Dollar Brand, pianist, composer, arranger, was bom in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1934. When…

307

Tarkovsky's Cinema In 1986 Andrei Tarkovsky 's remarkable career in the cinema received the accolade of the Jury Prize at…

308

Putting Ourselves in the Picture Jo Spence 's photography defies definition - her work appears in community spaces as well as grand galleries.…

309

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? What do the following have in common? Maria von Trapp, whose story became "The Sound of Music"; Bob…

310

Bayan Ko Pilipinas (Lino Brocka 's Philippines) Lino Brocka is the most influential film director in the Philippines, and a leading…

311

Talk is Cheap What is a chat show - a forum for stimulating conversation and the exchange of ideas or just…

312

The Waugh Trilogy: Bright Young Thing Twenty-one years after his death Evelyn Waugh looms larger than ever over the English literary scene. In the…

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The Waugh Trilogy: Mayfair and the Jungle The second of three programmes looks at Evelyn Waugh 's most productive period as a novelist, journalist, travel-writer…

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The Waugh Trilogy: An Englishman's Home Last of three programmes. When Waugh died on Easter Sunday 21 years ago his friend Graham Greene felt…

315

German Festival: Joseph Beuys Joseph Beuys was one of the most prominent and controversial German artists of the past 30 years. Sculptor,…

316

ScreenPlay: Cariani and the Courtesans by Leslie Megahey A story of intrigue and romance in 16th-century Venice. Starring Paul McGann, Simon Callow, Michael…

317

Revolutionary with a Paintbox The Arena season opens with a profile of Diego Rivera , considered to be the most famous painter…

318

Invisible Ink For 200 years British writers have achieved great success with their accounts of life on the Indian subcontinent.…

319

Of Cats and Mice Art Spiegelman is one of America's leading comic-strip artists. Earlier this year he created a stir with Maus,…

320

Woody Guthrie he legend of Woody Guthrie - the rambling guitar player who discovered America from the roof of a…

321

The Dandy-Beano Story Tonight Arena presents, on the occasion of their 50th anniversaries, a tribute to those great British institutions, the…

322

Broadway - The Great White Way Broadway is one of the most famous streets in the world. Legendary for bright lights, musical comedy, and…

323

Ryszard Kapuscinski: Your Man Who is There The first of two programmes featuring the work of a major figure in contemporary literature and journalism. In…

324

The Emperor Arena presents JONATHAN MILLER 'S acclaimed production for the Royal Court Theatre of RYSZARD KAPUSCINSKI's play. Adapted for…

325

My Name Is Celia Cruz The Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz has been the most adored and dynamic singer in Latin America for…

326

All on a Mardi Gras Day Part One Today is Shrove Tuesday, in French, Mardi Gras , and tonight is the night before Lent. While the…

327

All on a Mardi Gras Day: Part Two Continued from BBC2. From the Toulouse Cafe in the heart of downtown New Orleans where the day's t…

328

Kerouac The novelist and poet Jack Kerouac died in 1969, a chronic alcoholic, at the age of 47. He…

329

An Andalucian Journey: Gypsies and Flamenco 1 The flamenco of southern Spain is more than music and much more than an exhilarating dance for the…

330

An Andalucian Journey: Gypsies and Flamenco 2 The flamenco of southern Spain is more than music. It's the soul of a culture and its roots…

331

Robert Mapplethorpe This month the National Portrait Gallery opens its doors to the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As the epitome…

332

The English Thoroughbred The English Thoroughbred In the late 17th century the fastest, most elegant racing machine known to man was…

333

Byrne About Byrne Each season Arena invites a distinguished figure in the arts to direct a film. This year's guest director…

334

Rhythms of the World: Randy Travis at the Albert Hall Randy Travis is the hottest new singer on the country music scene today. In June of this year…

335

Ten Green Bottles Arena's new season begins with a special anniversary edition and a chance to see again some classic moments…

336

Clint Eastwood: The Man with No Name. Dirty Harry and the other characters in the Eastwood repertory have dominated the box office for over 25…

337

Moving Across the World on Horses Born in Sri Lanka in 1943, educated in Dulwich and now living in Canada, Michael Ondaatje has criss-crossed…

338

History Boys on the Rampage From Dundalk to Dungannon, Ballycastle to Belfast, Field Day, Ireland's foremost touring theatre company, journeys past checkpoints and…

339

The Unforgettable Nat King Cole When Nat King Cole died in 1965, the world lost its greatest ballad singer. Last year, 22 years…

340

Tales from Barcelona Award-winning director Jana Bokova presents a typically idiosyncratic portrait of Europe's most fashionable city. An equally eccentric and…

341

Blackpool With more visitors than the whole of Greece and more holiday beds than Portugal, Blackpool is Europe's most…

342

The Tip of the Iceberg Breasts/bosoms/bust/boobs/bristols/knockers... we live in a breast-obsessed society and 'tits' are by no means the preserve of the tabloids;…

343

Laurens van der Post and Albert Sample Arena presents two films by award-winning director Georg Troller , made for West German television's leading arts programme…

344

New York - The Secret African City eyond the familiar world of Wall Street and Madison Avenue, there is another New York, whose roots lie…

345

Eugene Ionesco : the Joke's on Us The absurdity of life has been Eugene lonesco's theme and preoccupation since he wrote the first of his…

346

John Cassavetes Actor and director, John Cassavetes, who died earlier this month was one of the few truly independent movie-makers…

347

Power in the Blood Ten years ago, Vernon Oxford turned his back on the bright lights of Nashville and a life as…

348

The Old Brass Plate Rattle Test - the Englishman and his Jukebox Elton John's jukebox sold at Sotheby's for £16,000. It has come a long way since it left the…

349

Juke Box Jury Arena continues its centenary celebration of the jukebox with a special edition of one of the original pop…

350

Berthold Lubetkin Born in Georgia in 1901, Berthold Lubetkin is one of the most outstanding and influential architects in Britain.…

351

Heavy Metal Ever since its noisy birth out of the primitive fuzzboxes of the 1960s, heavy metal music has been…

352

The Other Graham Greene For some 25 years the author Graham Greene found himself the victim of a bizarre masquerade. A man…

353

Slim Gaillard's Civilisation 1: A Traveller's Tale 'Look at the clocks - it doesn't matter if they're wrong. Somewhere in the world the time is…

354

Slim Gaillard's Civilisation 2: How High the Moon In 1938 jazz legend and international star Slim Gaillard went to Hollywood to appear in Hellzapoppin: and then…

355

Slim Gaillard's Civilisation 3: My Dinner with Dizzy This week Slim Gaillard cooks dinner for his old friend Dizzy Gillespie. They discuss the English language and…

356

Animal Night: Smashing Pigs Some people see the pig as representing dirt, sloth and obesity; others view it with affection. In this…

357

Animal Night: Sacred Elephant A film version of Heathcote Williams 's epic poem, an impassioned hymn of praise to one of nature's…

358

Animal Night: Great Wildlife Presenters Through the Ages The animals in wildlife films have always been vying for attention with that eccentric breed - the animal…

359

Animal Night: John Daniel the First In the 1920s a middle-aged spinster went to buy a yard of ribbon and came out with a…

360

Animal Night: A Day in the Life of Sam the Dog What does Sam get up to when he's left on his own all day? This verite portrait looks…

361

Animal Night: Animals on Trial Novelist Julian Bames, philosopher Nicholas Humphrey and French historian Dr Michel Rousseau help to uncover one of the…

362

Animal Night: The Animal Night Debate Speciesism, vivisection, vegetarianism, farming, sport, zoos, circuses and pets will be some of the topics discussed in a…

363

25 x 5: the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones The phenomenal career of the Rolling Stones has taken them from being the bad boys of rock 'n'…

364

Numbers So says Gregory Chaitin, one of the world's three leading mathematicians, addressing the camera from the deep recesses…

365

Oblomov Oblomov is a slob. Even Gorbachev is said to have denounced him from the podium: 'We must stamp…

366

Jerry Lee Lewis This is the story of 'the Killer', the ultimate wild man of rock, from his phenomenal success at…

367

Roberto Rossellini The great Italian film director, who died in 1977, was the founder of 'neo-realism'. Following the international success…

368

Next Time Dear God Please Choose Someone Else Traditional Jewish humour flourished in adversity. Religious persecution and life in the ghetto nurtured its own kind of…

369

Salif Keita Salif Keita - the golden voice of Mali - is one of the first African world superstars. He…

370

Fred Zinnemann: A Director's Life Fred Zinnemann, best known for the classic western High Noon, has had a career in movies spanning 65…

371

Spike and Company - Do It a Cappella Actor and director Spike Lee joins actress Debbie Allen on a journey in search of the perfect vocal…

372

Peggy and Her Playwrights Now in her 80s, Peggy Ramsay is the most powerful and unconventional play agent in Britain. She started…

373

The English Rose The term 'English rose' conjures up a variety of images which fall somewhere between the delicate pink roses…

374

Paris Is Burning They call themselves the 'Children'. By day they are cycle-messengers, assistants in department stores, prostitutes or unemployed; by…

375

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam On 4 July 1967, Private Raymond Griffiths was killed in Vietnam. He was 19 years old - the…

376

Havana Cuba's legendary capital, once a playground for the rich, has an extraordinary faded beauty with its grand colonial…

377

The Princess Niccolo Machiavelli 's infamous The Prince is a short book about power - how to get it and…

378

The Ten Commandments of Krzysztof Kieslowski Krzysztof Kieslowski is the foremost director to have emerged in Poland since Andrzej Wadja. His two most recent…

379

Le Paris Black Paris's love affair with the black world stretches from the Cubists' discovery of African sculpture at the beginning…

380

Kino Perestroika Tonight's programme looks at the Soviet cinema since perestroika and examines the work of some of its most…

381

The Daily Worker Story When Lenin told the newly formed Communist Party of Great Britain that its survival depended on having a…

382

Oooh Er, Missus! - The Frankie Howerd Story Considered by many to be our greatest living stand-up comedian, the incomparable Francis Alick Howerd holds a special…

383

Agatha Christie - Unfinished Portrait This Arena Special celebrates the centenary of Dame Agatha Christie's birth with the first film biography of the…

384

The Fever A new musical, Township Fever, is about to open on Broadway. Written by Mbongeni Ngema , the co-author…

385

Food Night: Introduction Tonight Arena brings you an evening of short films and a debate devoted to that most universal of…

386

Food Night: Modern Food Today's hypermarket is an Aladdin's cave compared to the grocery store of 30 years ago. Food Night looks…

387

Food Night: Great Moments in Food History A salute to four great thinkers. If Rossini had not preferred food to music there would have been…

388

Food Night: The Story of Food in 27 Minutes and 43 Seconds Food has had a part to play in religion, politics, science and war, and throughout history has underlined…

389

Food Night: Good Manners Some lessons in manners from the silver screen - Five Easy Pieces, Tampopo, Oliver Twist and more.

390

Food Night: What's Kosher? This film explores the application of kosher dietary laws which have helped to preserve the separate identity of…

391

Food Night: The Last Supper Louisiana State Penitentiary recently released a list of the last meals ordered by prisoners about to be executed.…

392

Food Night: The Complete History of the Potato With the help of potato experts from all over the world Food Night pays homage to this nutritious,…

393

Food Night: I Just Happen to Have One Here I Made Earlier A chance to sample some favourites from the kitchens of such legends as Fanny Cradock, Zena Skinner and…

394

Food Night: Movable Feast - the Politics of Disgust Mealworms served in a cherry tomato, grasshoppers rolled in bacon - these are just a few of the…

395

Food Night: Eating for One Left to your own devices, what do you eat, when do you eat it and how much of…

396

Food Night: Fasting and Abstinence As Christmas approaches, time to contemplate self-denial.

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Food Night: Debate As the evening's climax, Arena assembles a forum of distinguished politicians, economists, nutritionists, moralists and senders and receivers…

398

Lifepulse - a Natural Thriller A spectacular musical celebration of life, capturing evolution in all its glorious diversity, and the rhythms of nature…

399

Miller Meets Mandela Nelson Mandela, since his release, has become one of the most famous people in the world. Everyone has…

400

Derek Jarman - a Portrait Derek Jarman is a uniquely British outsider: a painter, film-maker and a self-appointed enfant terrible with a paradoxical…

401

Anselm Kiefer : Operation Sealion Kiefer is Germany's most controversial and reclusive artist. He is also its most successful. The millions his work…

402

The Strange Story of Joe Meek On 3 February 1967, Joe Meek, composer of Telstar and pioneer independent producer, shot his landlady and then…

403

The Other Roci Rocky is the name of American artist Robert Rauschenberg's pet turtle. It is also the name of an…

404

Caroline 199 - A Pirate's Tale December 1990: a rusty ship drifts silently in the North Sea. As the Government and its Broadcasting Bill…

405

Staring at the Ceiling This profile of Keith Waterhouse follows him through his hectic diary. As a columnist for the Daily Mail…

406

Three Irish Writers It has been said that the English hoard words like misers and the Irish spend them like sailors.…

407

One Irish Rover For more than two decades, Van Morrison has been fusing different musical influences, creating a style of his…

408

The Importance of Being Oscar This one-man show based on the life of Oscar Wilde was the jewel in the crown for Irish…

409

The Other Roci Rocky is the name of American artist Robert Rauschenberg 's pet turtle. It is also the name…

410

Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon When Kenneth Anger first published his classic expose of Hollywood's best-kept secrets and scandals, it was immediately banned.…

411

Elmore Leonard 's Criminal Records Top US crime writer Elmore Leonard 's street-wise characters range from violent hoodlums in and around Detroit to…

412

The Human Face In the last of the current series of Arena, musical performance artist Laurie Anderson presents an examination of…

413

Texas Saturday Night A show as big as the Lone Star State this is an epic voyage through the wildest state…

414

The Grass Arena Brutalised at home and school, John Healy drinks a promising boxing career into the "grass arena" - the…

415

Billy, How Did You Do It? 1 The first of a special three-part presentation in which American film director Billy Wilder discusses his career with…

416

Billy, How Did You Do It? 2 Second of three in-depth conversations with the film director and writer Billy Wilder. He recalls his memories of…

417

Billy, How Did You Do It? 3 Last of a special three-part presentation in which American director Billy Wilder discusses his career. He remembers working…

418

Masters of the Canvas When pop artist Peter Blake confessed in a magazine article that his fantasy was to be the mysterious…

419

Oliver Stone A portrait of the controversial American film director, Oliver Stone, whose work often arouses the fiercest passions in…

420

Fatwa On 14 February 1989 Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Tonight, on the third…

421

Six Degrees of Separation: a New York Tale In 1983, David Hampton was arrested for pretending to be the son of actor Sidney Poitier and conning…

422

The Incredible Case of Comrade Rockstar Dean Read was the biggest rock star the communist world had ever seen. Virtually unknown in his…

423

Croatia - the Artists' War This film asks how the culture of a country survives amid gunfire. Ivan Rabuzin , the 71-year-old Croatian…

424

Otto Dix : a Tale of Two Germanies "I'll either be famous or infamous," declared the controversial German painter who died in 1969. His subjects range…

425

Chi-Chi the Panda Refused entry to America from China in 1958 because of the embargo on "communist goods", the giant panda…

426

Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up Tales of the City first appeared in the 70s as a daily column in the San Francisco Chronicle.…

427

Last Supper - Frank on Frank A self-portrait of photographer and film maker Robert Frank. Often called the "eyes of the Beats", Frank's work…

428

A Spanish Odyssey - a Portrait of Javier Mariscal Javier Mariscal is an artist who cannot be categorised - a designer who thinks a Camel cigarette packet…

429

An Argentinian Journey: 1: The Gaucho and the Pampas Three films which take a journey through the rich musical heritage of Argentina. The story begins just south…

430

An Argentinian Journey: 2: Zamba, Chacarera and Chamame Three films which take a journey through the rich musical heritage of Argentina. In the vast regions from…

431

An Argentinian Journey: 3: Pacha Mama - Sacred Land The Calchaquies valleys in the Andes and the Humahuaca canyon form the most underdeveloped and remote region in…

432

Sportswriter: the Fight, the Match and the Race Few activities in modern life can rival sport for creating excitement, passion and commitment. Arena takes a look…

433

Linda McCartney, behind the Lens In her first television profile, Linda McCartney talks about her life in photography and, with husband Paul, about…

434

The Graham Green Trilogy: England Made Me (1904-39) Arena's 1993 season opens with this three-part exploration of the life and work of the enigmatic writer. Greene's…

435

The Graham Greene Trilogy: The Dangerous Edge (1940-60) Disloyalty, secrecy and spying fascinated Greene both in his work and in his private life. Tonight's film charts…

436

The Graham Greene Trilogy: A World of My Own (1961-91) Last of the biographical films, with extracts read by Sir Alec Guinness. A World of My Own (1961-91)…

437

On the Road with Boggs In the 1980s American artist J S G Boggs stunned the art world by holding an exhibition of…

438

The Grateful and the Dead The story of the unlikely and unpublicised relationship between a 60s American rock band and some of Britain's…

439

A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie Elder statesman of jazz and a co-founder of the style that became bebop in the 40s, John Birks…

440

Larry Kramer One of the world's leading figures in the battle against Aids is not a doctor, scientist or politician,…

441

Edward Said: the Idea of Empire Palestinian writer, academic and exile, Edward W Said takes a journey into the worlds of history, literature, ideas…

442

The Last Soviet Citizen For three decades the Soviet Union's obsession with space stirred the soul of the nation like a secular…

443

Derek Walcott An interview with the poet who last December won the Nobel prize for literature, and whose current novel-length…

444

Zhang Yimou One of China's most successful film directors, Zhang Yimou , talks about his life, his work, and his…

445

Philip Roth To mark his 60th birthday, and the publication of his new book Operation Shylock, Philip Roth breaks his…

446

Only the Names Have Been Changed To the innocent reader, the characters in a work of fiction are the author's inventions. To those in…

447

Weegee Chronicling New York low and high life, Weegee's photographs have often shocked the world. His wife, Wilma Wilcox…

448

Duchamp's Fountain In 1917, Marcel Duchamp entered a white porcelain object in a New York exhibition. it was a urinal.…

449

Edgar Reitz: Return to Heimat An Arena special which documents the making of Reitz's second great German epic, The Second Heimat, which begins…

450

Tales Of Rock And Roll: Peggy Sue The arts series returns with four films tracing the origins of classic rock songs. The inspiration behind Buddy…

451

Not a Bad Girl Brenda Fassie is South Africa's answer to Madonna. A black singer for black people, she is streetwise, outrageous…

452

Heartbreak Hotel The second documentary in this Arena series telling the true stories behind classic rock songs is devoted to…

453

Walk on the Wild Side All the characters named in the song were real people who frequented Andy Warhol's studio in the late…

454

Highway 61 Revisited Last programme in the Arena series tracing the origins of classic rock songs. This musical journey travels the…

455

Arena: Radio Night: Introduction Your television and radio are cast as personalities (played by Peter Cook and Josie Lawrence) in this night…

456

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio: First: the Infant. Ian McKellen ruminates on the distinct eras of radio broadcasting, characterised as Shakespeare's seven ages of man, with…

457

Radio Night: TV Talk, Radio Rabbit What does the voice reveal?

458

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 2: The Schoolboy.

459

Radio Night: Heard But Not Seen Alistair Cooke, whose weekly epistle has been broadcast on radio since 1946, explains why it is the best…

460

Radio Night: Back to Square One The story of early radio's method of broadcasting live football, referring to a numbered grid - published in…

461

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 3: The Lover.

462

Radio Night: Sunday Dinner Family Sunday meals conjure up for many Family Favourites, Round the Home and The Billy Cotton Band Show.

463

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 4: The Soldier.

464

Radio Night: Pirates On just one estate in east London there are five pirate stations, battling to stay on air.

465

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 5: The Judge.

466

Radio Night: TV Theft, Radio Rip-Off Does TV steal radio's best comedy ideas? Included in the debate are Frank Muir, Denis Norden, Armando Iannucci…

467

Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 6: The Old Man.

468

Radio Night: The Spot FX Man Harold Listings, a frustrated radio technician, takes revenge.

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Radio Night: The Seven Ages of Radio 7: Senility.

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Radio Night: It's Life, Jim Nasa scientists are using giant radio antennae to pick up communications from ET.

471

Radio Night: The Time Signal Dr Carl Dolmetsch finds out why the pips changed pitch.

472

Radio Night: The Two Voyages of Donald Crowhurst The tragic story of the lone yachtsman and his radio.

473

Radio Night: The Shipping Forecast Live on TV for the first time, Fisher, German Bight, Dogger.

474

The Next Voice You Hear Concluding BBC2's Arena Radio Night, a film drama starring James Whitmore, Nancy Davis (later Reagan). Joe and Mary…

475

In Search of Oz An exploration of the phenomenal popularity of L Frank Baum 's famous children's story The Wonderful Wizard of…

476

Who Is Vladimir Pozner? In the 1980s Vladimir Pozner , once dubbed "Ivan the Telegenic", became the second most celebrated communist in…

477

The Dark Side of Black The new stars of ragga and gangster rap - Shabba Ranks, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, Buju Banton -…

478

The Ring - a South London Tale For centuries, bare-knuckle boxing has been going on behind closed doors. Nigel Finch's unusual film investigates this illegal…

479

Glitterbug During the 1970s and 1980s Derekjarman kept a Super-8 film diary, chronicling the cultural high life and low…

480

Theatre without Actors In 1960 an American film called Primary changed the notion of what a documentary could be, using techniques…

481

Kalashnikov Seventy million Kalashnikov (or AK-47) guns are scattered across the world. It was the Russians' Cold War weapon…

482

Trouble Man - the Last Years of Marvin Gaye On 1 April 1984 former Motown star Marvin Gaye provoked his father once too often, and was shot…

483

Relics Introduction The idea that power exists in the remains of heroes and the things they leave behind is the…

484

Relics: Einstein's Brain "Move Albert Einstein ," declares Japanese professor Kenji Sugimoto at the start of a bizarre journey in search…

485

Relics: Curse of the Firebeetle A film drama set against civil war in Peru. When Ortiz, a professional graverobber, stumbles across the huge…

486

Relics: The Grave Case of Charlie Chaplin In 1978 Charlie Chaplin 's coffin was stolen from his grave in Vevey, Switzerland, and a large ransom…

487

Philip K Dick - a Day In the Afterlife The author of the stories behind Blade Runner and Total Recall grew up in California at a time…

488

Voices from the Island Robben Island is South Africa's Alcatraz. For three decades Nelson Mandela , Walter Sisulu and hundreds of other…

489

Cindy Sherman - Nobody's Here but Me Using herself as the model, American artist Cindy Sherman has produced hundreds of photographs exploring the use of…

490

Bahia of all the Saints Brazil's major slave-trading port for nearly three centuries, Bahia has a black population of over 80 per cent…

491

Sandra Bernhard - Confession of a Pretty Lady Sandra Bernhard 's outrageous one-woman show deals with many normally taboo subjects and controversy runs through her personal…

492

Louise Bourgeois This Arena special profiles sculptor Louise Bourgeois, who has suddenly become fashionable at the age of 84, and…

493

The Peter Sellers Story 1 Arena returns with a three-part special, presenting a film portrait of one of the world's great comic actors,…

494

The Peter Sellers Story: 2: Jack to Jacques The second of a three-part film portrait of one of the world's great comic actors.

495

The Peter Sellers Story: 3: I Am Not a Funny Man The last of a three-part film portrait of one of the world's great comic actors. Tonight's film begins…

496

Punk and the Pistols In August 1975, the face of British rock music was fundamentally changed: the Sex Pistols were formed. A…

497

The Burger and the King The passion fans had for his music was matched only by the passion Elvis Presley had for his…

498

Stories My Country Told Me What is a nation? From Corsica to Kashmir, from Quebec to Bosnia, violent separatist movements are fighting to…

499

Tony Bennett's New York At 70 years of age, singer Tony Bennett has been dubbed the King of Cool by the MTV-watching…

500

Caesar's Writers The legendary Sid Caesar was one of America's favourite TV stars in the fifties. His writing team, which…

501

There's No Such Thing as a Small Head of State On 22 October 1995, for the first time, all the world's leaders gathered together in the United Nations…

502

Dear Antonioni A portrait of the Italian film-maker Michelangelo Antonioni , who has directed such films as L'Awentura, which follows…

503

Busby, Stein and Shankly - the Football Men: Underground Sports writer Hugh Mcllvanney presents the first of a trilogy of programmes for the Easter weekend about three…

504

Busby, Stein and Shankly - the Football Men: Football is the Faith Hugh Mcllvanney presents the second in a trilogy of programmes about three great football managers; Matt Busby ,…

505

Busby, Stein and Shankly - the Football Men: The Price of Glory Concluding the three-part series presented by sports writer Hugh Mcllvanney about three great football managers; Matt Busby, Jock…

506

The Banana Tonight's programme considers musa sapientum, the fruit of the wise. The Velvet Underground's John Cale tells the story…

507

Cigars - out of the Humidor In 1962, before John F Kennedy signed the embargo banning the importation of cigars into America from Cuba,…

508

The Noel Coward Trilogy: The Boy Actor The first of a three-part profile of the writer, composer and actor covers Coward's meteoric rise from suburban…

509

The Noel Coward Trilogy: Captain Coward The second of three programmes celebrating the life and career of Noel Coward focuses on the journey through…

510

The Noel Coward Trilogy: Sail Away Concluding the three-part Easter special with a look at the last 30 years of Noel Coward's life. His…

511

Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century Arena explores the rise of the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra from his early family background to overwhelming showbusiness…

512

The Brian Epstein Story: The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow The first of a two-part documentary telling the story of Brian Epstein. Gay when homosexuality was illegal, a…

513

The Brian Epstein Story: Tomorrow Never Knows Concluding the two-part profile of the pop manager who brought global success to the Beatles. By the mid-sixties,…

514

Cuba Night: the 40-Year Face-off

515

Cuba Night: Eisenhower, Kennedy and Khrushchev: How It All Began Newsreel footage from 1962, when Fidel Castro's arrangement with then-Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev to install nuclear-weapon sites triggered…

516

Cuba Night: A Diamond in the Rough Cuba's baseball prowess has been long estabished. Fidel Castro himself was once scouted by a US team, and…

517

Cuba Night: LBJ, Nixon and Brezhnev: the Middle Years Cuba's place in world politics, from mid-sixties to mid-eighties.

518

Cuba Night: The Simpsons: The Trouble with Trillions Homer swaps jobs with Fidel Castro, who goes to work at the nuclear power plant in Springfield.

519

Cuba Night: Reagan and Gorbachev: Castro, Cuba and the Fall of Communism The effects of the demise of the dominant political ethos in the east.

520

Cuba Night: Who Owns Che? The Importance of Not Being Ernesto Since his death in 1967, the face of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara has stared down from posters and…

521

Cuba Night: The Clinton Years: Cuba Today and Tomorrow Cuba's relations with the United States in recent times.

522

Salman Rushdie and the Ground beneath His Feet In Salman Rushdie 's new novel The Ground beneath Her Feet. singer Vina Aspara is caught up in…

523

Looking for the Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain ran north to south through Europe and divided the world for 50 years. American writer…

524

Casanova The legendary 18th-century lover has been immortalised in books, films and on television, but are these fictionalised accounts…

525

Blondes - Jayne Mansfield In 1957, Jayne Mansfield was riding high as the most photographed woman in the world. Yet, ten years…

526

Blondes - Diana Dors This second blonde-bombshell profile focuses on Britain's home-grown prototype, Diana Dors. The Rada-trained actress emerged as a sex…

527

Blondes - Anita Ekberg Perhaps best remembered as the shapely blonde who waded into the Trevi Fountain in La Dolce Vita, fifties…

528

The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money Actor Dennis Hopper plays the eccentric host to this guide to the world of commercial creativity. The programme…

529

The Veil More and more young Muslim women today are wearing the veil, saying that it frees rather than oppresses…

530

Wisconsin Death Trip An edition in the occasional arts documentary strand. Wisconsin Death Trip. Inspired by a book of the same…

531

Clint Eastwood: Out of the West The first of a two-part Christmas special profiling the Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood. Eastwood recalls his…

532

Clint Eastwood: American Film-maker Concluding the two-part profile of the life and work of Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood. The story…

533

James Ellroy's Feast of Death The art strand Arena returns with a new seven-part series. Best known for such novels as LA Confidential,…

534

And the Winner Is ... There is seemingly no endeavour for which there is not an award, from Preacher of the Year to…

535

Budd Schulberg - a Contender Eighty-six-year-old novelist Budd Schulberg talks to old friend Hugh McIlvanney about his life and his long and varied…

536

The Source Tonight's film dramatises the story behind the leading artists who personified the Beat Generation, which saw its roots…

537

Salgado - the Spectre of Hope During the past 30 years the photographic work of Brazilian-born Sebastiao Salgado has helped to bring conditions of…

538

Stalin - the Red God Joseph Stalin is seen outside his native land as one of history's most deplorable tyrants, but throughout the…

539

According to Beryl A one-off film in which author Beryl Bainbridge chronicles the extraordinary relationship during the 18th century between Samuel…

540

Night of Entertainers: Sykes and a Day Writer, performer and director, the late Eric Sykes was the renaissance man of British comedy. This episode of…

541

Night of Entertainers: Drake's Progress Charlie Drake is perhaps best known as the "little man" taking on the world in such films as…

542

Night of Entertainers: The 1812 Overture in E Flat Major Opus 49 The sketch, first shown in 1967, that took the Golden Rose at Montreux. Drake plays the conductor and…

543

Night of Entertainers: Max Bygraves - I Wanna Tell You a Story Since a 1951 breakthrough appearance on the long-running radio series 'Educating Archie', Bygraves has proved a hit with…

544

The Private Dirk Bogarde: Part 1 In 1986, Dirk Bogarde burnt most of his personal papers at his home in southern France. However, 12…

545

The Private Dirk Bogarde: Part 2 The second of Arena's two-part film about Bogarde plots his progress to the forefront of European cinema in…

546

Estonia Dreams of Eurovision As the 2001 winner, the Baltic state of Estonia, prepares to host this year's Eurovision Song Contest, this…

547

Kurosawa: Part One First in a two-part profile of Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa, looking at his childhood, early career and emergence…

548

Kurosawa: Part Two Concluding the profile of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. International acclaim followed masterpieces like the influential 'Seven Samurai', but…

549

The Peter Sellers Story: As He Filmed It Arena revisits its 1995 BAFTA-nominated Sellers trilogy, this time using only film shot by the late comic, who…

550

Harold Pinter: 1: The Room This edition chronicles Pinter's East End childhood, his work as an actor, the critical appraisal of his work,…

551

Harold Pinter: 2: Celebration This programme focuses on the relationship between the public and private aspects of Pinter's life and work. The…

552

One for the Road Harold Pinter takes the lead role in the Gate Theatre, Dublin's production of his play, produced by Michael…

553

Politics and Pinter A 70th birthday tribute to Harold Pinter in three parts. The first section acknowledges Pinter's involvement in highlighting…

554

The Room An anxious recluse deals with the pressures of the outside world. A play by Harold Pinter, filmed in…

555

Radio Ha! Meet the Dead Ringers In a world of mimicry and satire, do the Dead Ringers team know who they really are? Meet…

556

Radio Ha! It's Time for Just a Minute Not many can talk for a minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation - but, for 35 years, Just…

557

I Am from Nowhere The story of Mikova, the remote Slovakian village where the family of icon Andy Warhol came from.

558

The Real Jane Austen Gillian Kearney plays the author in an Arena docudrama. With Anna Chancellor.

559

The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough: Part One As he becomes an octogenarian, a two-part Arena special celebrates the life and distinguished career of one of…

560

The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough: Part Two The conclusion to this two-part profile, which accompanies the Attenborough at 80 season of films this week, looks…

561

Imagine Imagine The huge and enduring popularity of John Lennon 's song, Imagine, is examined in this documentary. Yoko Ono…

562

Dylan Thomas - from Grave to Cradle In the 50th year since his tragic death, author and broadcaster Nigel Williams examines the work and legend…

563

Buffalo Bill's Wild West: How the Myth Was Made Buffalo Bill was instrumental in transforming the Wild West into the caricatured setting portrayed in countless films and…

564

Alec Guinness, a Secret Man The acting career of Alec Guinness spanned more than five decades. Although readily identifiable in character, the real…

565

Pavarotti - the Last Tenor For 40 years, Luciano Pavarotti has been hailed as one of the greatest tenors of all time, an…

566

Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Country singer Jim White takes a road trip through the rural white American South in in an Arena…

567

Shadowing the Third Man Examining the battles between the film's producers, and the demands of star Orson Welles.

568

Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball? A documentary chronicling the series of Amnesty International fundraising concerts, which brought together a wealth of comedy talent…

569

Painting the Clouds - a Portrait of Dennis Potter The Potter at the BBC strand marking the 10th anniversary of his death starts with this feature-length profile.…

570

Dennis Potter: It's In the Songs! It's In the Songs! How the playwright used popular songs as a powerful dramatic device and to express the depth of his…

571

Potter on Television A portrait of the late playwright, featuring extracts from his work - read by Keith Barron - and…

572

Hank Williams - Honky Tonk Blues From Elvis to Norah Jones , Hank Williams 's songs have been recorded more often than those of…

573

Calling Hedy Lamarr Cited as being the most beautiful star in the Hollywood firmament during the 1930s and 40s, Hedy Lamarr's…

574

Francis Bacon's Arena Haunting and ferocious, Francis Bacon's paintings made an indelible impression on art history. His life - as outrageous…

575

Arena at 30 Bob Dylan, Jean Genet, Orson Welles and Francis Bacon are among the subjects in a look back at…

576

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 1 Director Martin Scorsese enlists the help of Dylan himself, Joan Baez , film-maker DA Pennebaker , Greenwich Village…

577

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: Part 2 Martin Scorsese delicately balances Dylan's internal world with signpost images from the external as he follows the newsworthy…

578

Dylan in the Madhouse Surprisingly, Bob Dylan first came to the attention of the British public through his role in a 1963…

579

The Princess and Panorama An incredible 22.8 million viewers were agog as Diana, Princess of Wales spoke candidly of her marriage into…

580

Routemasters! The Double Decker Bus Conductors Documentary celebrating one of London's great characters, the bus conductor. The film tells the stories of five extraordinary…

581

Galton and Simpson Hancock's Half-Hour and Steptoe and Son - two persuasive reasons for making Ray Galton and Alan Simpson pre-eminent…

582

Pete Doherty A one-off documentary following six months in the life of Libertines and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty - the…

583

Saints The phenomenon of sanctity is examined in a documentary asking what makes a saint, comparing the Catholic Church's…

584

The Archers Marking its 56th year on the air, Arena examines the enduring appeal of Radio 4's rural soap, which…

585

The Underground Documentary about the Tube, the world's oldest underground system, with its own unwritten rules of behaviour and protocol,…

586

Bob Marley - Exodus 77 The year 1977 was a crucial one in the life of reggae superstar Bob Marley. After an attempt…

587

Encountering Bergman Examining the life and work of film director Ingmar Bergman , through people who know and have spoken…

588

Bergman and Faro Island In his remote home at the seashore on Sweden's Faro Island, Ingmar Bergman talks about the childhood that…

589

Bergman and the Cinema Ingmar Bergman examines his cinema career, which began when his first script was filmed in 1944. He is…

590

Flames of Passion: the Other Side of British Cinema Britain's postwar cinema was not well looked upon by many critics. The melodramas, crime films and horror shockers…

591

The Original Archers The earliest surviving episode in the BBC archives of The Archers, originally broadcast 11th March 1952, is repeated…

592

Tribute Bands - into the Limelight Affectionate documentary that goes behind the scenes of the Limelight Club in Crewe, where for ten years tribute…

593

Tribute Bands - Live at the Limelight Live performances by tribute bands such as Limehouse Lizzy, Are You Experienced, The Jamm and ABCD, at Crewe's…

594

Dylan's Folk - the Pure, the Bad and the Holy A look at the Newport folk festival and the American folk revival of the 60s, which encompassed old…

595

The Other Side of the Mirror - Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival Murray Lerner's documentary features Bob Dylan's performances at the Newport folk festival between 1963 and 1965 - the…

596

Dylan in the Madhouse Arena goes in search of the Bob Dylan starring 1962 BBC drama Madhouse on Castle Street, wiped in…

597

Ken Dodd's Happiness A tribute to the Liverpudlian comedian, who turned 80 last month. Here, he discusses his 50-year career and…

598

The Strange Luck of V.S. Naipaul Profile of the Nobel Prize-winning British writer, VS Naipaul. Filmed in Wiltshire, India and his native Trinidad, he…

599

Cab Driver Documentary which gets to the heart of that much-maligned and stereotyped character, the London cabbie, using archive footage,…

600

The Hunt for Moby-Dick Writer Philip Hoare embarks on an epic journey to investigate humankind's ongoing fascination with the whale. He travels…

601

Whale Night: The Whale in the Museum BBC4's Whale Night begins with an insight into the the construction of the Blue Whale exhibit at the…

602

Whale Night: Philip Hoare's Guide to Whales: Episode 1: Baleen Author and whale-watcher Philip Hoare takes us into the world of baleen whales, the largest animals ever to…

603

Whale Night: Philip Hoare's Guide to Whales: Episode 2: Toothed Author and whale-watcher Philip Hoare takes us into the world of toothed whales, from the plight of the…

604

Whale Night: Philip Hoare's Guide to Whales: Episode 3: Arctic Philip Hoare follows the historical trail of the whale hunters to the frozen seas of the North Pole,…

605

The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector Legendary, reclusive and controversial, Phil Spector changed the face of pop with his reverbladen "wall of sound" production…

606

Paul Scofield A host of theatrical greats pay tribute to the accomplished actor, who died in March this year aged…

607

Tony Bennett: the Music Never Ends Crooner Tony Bennett reflects on his life with his friend and jazz enthusiast Clint Eastwood. Bennett traces his…

608

Cool Archive film shows how American jazz culture spread across the world in the 1940s and 50s, representing a…

609

TS Eliot The Poetry Season continues with this in-depth look at the life of one of the 20th century's most…

610

Harold Pinter Night: The Birthday Party A performance of his critically acclaimed 1958 play about a man tormented by two mysterious strangers.

611

Brian Eno - Another Green World Brian Eno, former Roxy Music keyboardist and a pioneer in ambient music, engages with fellow minds in conversations…

612

Harold Pinter - A Celebration In June 2009, a group Britain's leading actors gathered for one night only to perform a celebration of…

613

Johnny Mercer - The Dream's on Me Documentary telling the story and examining the legacy of Johnny Mercer, one of America's greatest songwriters and a…

614

Dave Brubeck - In His Own Sweet Way Profile of the influential jazz pianist Dave Brubeck as he approaches his 90th birthday, who had one of…

615

Rolf Harris Paints His Dream Arena enlists supermodels Lily Cole and Lizzy Jagger and actresses Dervla Kirwan and Emer Kenny to help Rolf…

616

Produced by George Martin Profile of record producer Sir George Martin, with his wife Judy, son Giles, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr…

617

George Harrison: Living in the Material World: Part 1 Martin Scorsese's portrait of George Harrison, which traces his life from his beginnings in Liverpool to becoming a…

618

George Harrison: Living in the Material World: Part 2 Martin Scorsese's portrait of George Harrison looks at his post-Beatles days as a member of the Travelling Wilburys…

619

Dickens on Film An exploration of Charles Dickens's contribution to the history of film and television, using archive footage of classic…

620

Sonny Rollins: Beyond the Notes Documentary about the great saxophonist Sonny Rollins, built around his 80th birthday concert, where he is joined by…

621

Sonny Rollins '74: Rescued! Newly-discovered film footage of tenor sax legend Sonny Rollins at Ronnie Scott's in 1974, with a band featuring…

622

The Dreams of William Golding An insight into the private obsessions and insecurities of the author of Lord of the Flies. With contributions…

623

Jonathan Miller Documentary exploring the life of Sir Jonathan Miller CBE, theatre and opera director, humorist and television presenter. With…

624

Amy Winehouse - The Day She Came to Dingle Documentary telling the story of the day Amy Winehouse recorded a stunning acoustic performance in a church in…

625

The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour: Episode 1: Magical Mystery Tour Revisited The making of The Beatles' controversial 1967 film, featuring previously unseen archive footage.

626

The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour: Episode 2: 'The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour Fully restored and with a remixed soundtrack, 'The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour comes out of the shadows and…

627

Screen Goddesses Documentary about the early female movie stars: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe - immortal goddesses…

628

Sister Wendy and the Art of the Gospel Documentary telling the personal story of Sister Wendy Beckett, who travelled the world telling the story of Christian…

629

aka Norman Parkinson To mark the centenary of his birth, Arena examines the glamorous life and exceptionally long career of pioneering…

630

Arena: The National Theatre: Part One - The Dream First of two documentaries celebrating the National Theatre's 50th anniversary, with contributions from artistic directors, playwrights and stars…

631

Arena: The National Theatre: Part Two - War and Peace Peter Hall, Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn and Nicholas Hytner talk about running the new National Theatre from its…

632

Whatever Happened to Spitting Image? Documentary telling the story of the genesis of the satirical puppet show Spitting Image, with contributions from caricaturists…

633

The National Theatre: Learning Zone Made specially for schools, this version of Arena examines the history and purpose of the National Theatre as…

634

The 50 Year Argument - The New York Review of Books Martin Scorsese's documentary film charting literary, political and cultural history as per the New York Review of Books,…

635

Nicolas Roeg - It's About Time Profile of Nicolas Roeg, examining his personal vision of cinema as evidenced in his films, including Don't Look…

636

Night and Day To celebrate Arena's 40th anniversary, a new film made entirely from its own archive, evoking the one experience…

637

Loretta Lynn - Still a Mountain Girl With contributions from her family and fellow musicians, now in her early eighties and still going strong, country…

638

All the World's a Screen - Shakespeare on Film Documentary exploring the rich, global history of Shakespeare in the cinema, with a treasure trove of film extracts…

639

1966 - 50 Years Ago Today Documentary marking the year pop music and popular culture ripped up the rule book, as restless experimentation and…

640

The Roundhouse - The People's Palace The tragicomic rollercoaster story of a unique venue, the Roundhouse in north London, which has hosted virtually every…

641

Alone with Chrissie Hynde Arena spends the summer with supercool self-confessed rock chick, Chrissie Hynde. Featuring a glorious live performance at one…

642

American Epic: Episode 1: The Big Bang Series telling the stories of the pioneers of American roots music. The 1920s saw record companies travel rural…

643

American Epic: Episode 2: Blood and Soil Series telling the stories of the pioneers of American roots music. The second episode explores gospel, the songs…

644

Kirsty Young: 75 Years of Desert Island Discs As Desert Island Discs reaches 75, today's custodian of the island, Kirsty Young, introduces the 1982 Bafta-winning Arena…

645

American Epic: Episode 3: Out of the Many, the One The story of the pioneers of American roots music explores Hawaiian music, Cajun music and Mississippi John Hurt's…

646

American Epic: Episode 4: The Sessions Today's music superstars use a lovingly reassembled old machine to record in the same way that their early…

647

Stanley and his Daughters Exploring the relationship of artist Stanley Spencer's daughters, Unity and Shirin, as they try to understand and reclaim…

648

Bob Dylan – Trouble No More A Bob Dylan performance of songs expressing his new-found Christianity in the late 70s, enhanced by a series…

649

Nothing Like a Dame A chance to hang out with Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright and enjoy sparkling…

650

Make Me Up! Multimedia artist Rachel Maclean takes a satirical look at the contradictory pressures faced by women today.

651

Unstoppable: Sean Scully and the Art of Everything A year in the life of abstract artist Sean Scully, one of the world's wealthiest painters. Little known…

652

That Summer A long-lost film of the creative community formed by Peter Beard, Jackie Kennedy's sister Lee Radziwill and her…

653

Cindy Sherman #untitled A rare insight into the work of Cindy Sherman, one of the world's leading, and most elusive, contemporary…

654

Kusama: Infinity Documentary profiling Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama whose work, including her much-visited Infinity Mirror Room installations, defies classification.

655

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin When legendary writer and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was dying of Aids, his friend and collaborator Werner Herzog made…

656

Bergman: A Year in the Life Documentary that exposes a darker, less well-known side of film director Ingmar Bergman, focusing on the landmark year…

657

The $50 Million Art Swindle This feature-length documentary for Arena by acclaimed director Vanessa Engle tells the remarkable story of a charlatan art…

658

A British Guide to the End of the World Haunting film about Britain and the nuclear age, from the first bomb tests to our potentially futile preparations…

659

Everything Is Connected - George Eliot's Life Contemporary artist Gillian Wearing celebrates the legacy of Victorian novelist George Eliot in an experimental film made up…

660

Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens Born into a farming family in rural Northern Ireland, Seamus Heaney became the finest poet of his generation…

661

Hilary Mantel: Return to Wolf Hall Made across six months in the run-up to publication of 'The Mirror and the Light', the final book…

662

The Changin’ Times of Ike White In 1974, Ike White recorded an album while serving life for murder. The album became his ticket to…

663

I Am Not Your Negro Through the words of James Baldwin, this film touches on the lives and assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin…

664

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy The definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring, told using previously unheard interviews. Haring blazed a trail…

665

Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat xclusive testimony reveals the multifaceted man behind the maverick performer Fela Kuti, who created a sound for a…

666

My Father and Me For decades among the foremost names in documentary, Nick Broomfield has often implicated himself in the film-making process…

667

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes Docudrama portrait of Delia Derbyshire, the electronic sound pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme tune, exploring the idea…

668

African Apocalypse British-Nigerian poet and activist Femi Nylander travels to West Africa to discover the modern-day impact on its people…

669

Dark Matter: A History of the Afrofuture An exploration – from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Grace Jones – of how black artists use the sci-fi genre…

670

Painted with My Hair How a US lifer survived long-term solitary confinement through a remarkable pen-pal friendship and the making of beautiful…

671

B. Catling: Where Does It All Come From? An investigation into the extraordinary life and work of B. Catling, an eye-popping insight into the late-flourishing career…

672

The Vasulka Effect An Arena documentary about the life and work of video art pioneers Steina and Woody Vasulka, which reveals…

673

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World Documentary that follows Björn Andrésen, the boy catapulted to fame when Luchino Visconti chose him to play Tadzio…

674

River River takes its audience on a journey through space and time spanning six continents, showing rivers on a…

675

James Joyce’s Ulysses A hundred years after its publication, this film reveals the tawdry, shocking, poetic, uplifting and gloriously kaleidoscopic humanity…

676

T.S. Eliot: Into the Waste Land 2022 marks the centenary of one of the defining poems of the 20th century, 'The Waste Land'. TS…

677

Kanaval: A People's History of Haiti in Six Chapters A visually arresting feature documentary, set in the present but which tells the rich story of Haiti’s past,…

678

Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll he life and career of the pioneering musician, a black artist who grew up in the segregated American…

679

The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld With unique access to Karl Lagerfeld’s inner circle - many having never spoken publicly before - and his…

680

The Stones and Brian Jones A look at the relationships and rivalries within The Rolling Stones in their formative years, as well as…

681

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed A profile of artist and activist Nan Goldin, using slideshows, interviews, photography and rare footage to tell the…

682

Coco Chanel Unbuttoned Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel transformed women's fashion, a truly revolutionary designer whose influence is still evident today. Her designs…

683

Being Kae Tempest Poet, rapper, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest is one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in…

684

Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy A celebration of the unique life and talent of Caroline Aherne, featuring unseen photographs and contributions from a…

685

Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story The story of Noel Coward, the most prolific writer, director and entertainer of the 20th century, told in…

686

Maria Callas: The Final Act In this new film from Arena, a cast of musical experts and admirers uncover the truth about the…

687

Alan Bennett 90 Years On In May 2024, Alan Bennett turned 90. This film celebrates the life and long career of one of…

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Loaded: Lads, Mags and Mayhem Launched 30 years ago, Loaded magazine epitomised the 90s in its irreverence and appetite for hedonism. But how…

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From Roger Moore with Love Friends, family and co-stars take part in this revealing and entertaining look at British icon Roger Moore and…

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Steven McRae: Dancing Back to the Light At the peak of his career, acclaimed ballet dancer Steven McRae severely damages his Achilles tendon. This is…

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My Brain: After the Rupture The incredible story of broadcaster, journalist, musician and author Clemency Burton-Hill's recovery following a devastating brain haemorrhage in…

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McCartney: The Hunt for the Lost Bass The disappearance of McCartney’s original Höfner bass over 50 years ago is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s great…