sat 19/04/2025

tv

Arena: Night and Day, BBC Four

Marina Vaizey

Arena is the longest-running arts documentary programme for television at the BBC, and perhaps the world: as the BBC itself phrases it, this compendium celebration presented 24 hours in 90 minutes for 40 years, marking the show's latest anniversary. Conceived by the ever-creative and energetic Humphrey Burton all that while ago, Arena has made over 600 films, looking at high and low culture with equal curiosity, alacrity and even audacity.

Read more...

Prom 2: The Doctor Who Prom in Pictures

theartsdesk

There's the First Night and there's the Last Night. Nowadays among the staples of the two-month world-famous festival of music at the Royal Albert Hall, there is also the Doctor Who Prom. Last night, to mark the 50th anniversary of the resurgent TV sci-fi show, a celebration was laid on featuring Murray Gold's music from the last eight years of Doctor Who.

Read more...

TV Gallery: Frozen Planet

Jasper Rees

What we're used to seeing whenever the BBC launches on one of its epic explorations of the natural world is moving pictures. But as well as training film cameras at their subects, from the largest mountains and glaciers to the smallest organisms, the hardy modern-day adventurers armed with their phenomenal hi-tech kit also train still cameras at everything they encounter.

Read more...

TV Gallery: Downton Abbey

theartsdesk

  1. Maggie Smith Violet, Dowager Countress of Grantham
  2. Hugh Bonneville Robert, Earl of Grantham
  3. Penelope Wilton Mrs Isobel Crawley
  4. Dan Stevens Matthew Crawley
  5. Michelle Dockery Lady Mary Crawley
  6. Theo James Kemal Pamuk
  7. Jim Carter Mr Carson
  8. Brendan Coyle Mr Bates
  9. Rob James-Collier Thomas
  10. Thomas Howes William
  11. Joanne...

    Read more...

TV Gallery: Cranford's Bonnets

Jasper Rees

It's sometimes referred to, just a bit dismissively, as bonnet drama. Whenever television visits the 19th century, the headwear of the female characters does indeed play its part. Of no adaptation of Victorian fiction is that truer than Cranford. The actresses wearing the bonnets are fairly resplendent too.

Read more...
 

latest in today

Help to give theartsdesk a future!

It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

It followed some...

Neil Young: Coastal review - the old campaigner gets back on...

As well as generating a ceaseless stream of albums, whether live, studio or culled from his copious archives, Neil Young has also amassed a fairly...

Album: Maria Somerville - Luster

Luster’s fifth track “Halo” has the lyric “mystical creatures… of Éirne,” referencing the Irish river and lough of the same name – both...

The Penguin Lessons review - Steve Coogan and his flippered...

As if penguins didn’t have enough to fret about with impending tariffs on exporting guano to America, here comes Steve Coogan to ruffle their...

Ghosts, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre - turns out, they do fuck...

A single sofa is all we have on stage to attract our eye - the signifier of intimate family evenings, chummy breakfast TV and,...

Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story - compelling portrait...

“I was born with the ability and the demon to write. I have been punished for it constantly.” Written and directed by Sinéad O’Shea, this...

Album: Ronny Graupe's Szelest - Newfoundland Tristesse

In this new album, three top-flight musicians based in Berlin, guitarist Ronny Graupe, Lucia Cadotsch (voice) and Kit Downes (piano) work...

Donohoe, RPO, Brabbins, Cadogan Hall review - rarely heard B...

The name Arthur Bliss always summoned up for me the image of a fuddy-duddy old buffer writing boring music. But as I’ve discovered his work over...

Album: Gigspanner Big Band - Turnstone

For lovers of British folk from the 1970s on, Peter Knight is a potent force – renowned for his years with Steeleye Span, in their 1970s heyday...