BBC Arts

Elizabeth Taylor is known for many things – for being the highest paid actress of the 1960s, for her eight marriages to seven men, and her addictions. Taylor is often seen as the ‘blueprint’ for modern celebrity, as the gossip and scandal surrounding her dating life changed the relationship between film stars and the general public.

In the new documentary boxset, BBC Arts aims to tell the lesser-known aspects of Taylor’s life, including her acting process, her business acumen, and her longstanding activism for HIV and AIDS.

The programme will meet artists who create work across different disciplines and delve into why they love their craft so much. 

Lycett meets artists who have submitted their work to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022, which is the largest open entry art competition.

Lycett is known for his comedic exploits, but in 2018 submitted a small sculpture called 'Chris' to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.    

Judges loved 'Chris', who was made out of clay and a tub of Pringles, and was displayed in the 2018 show.

As part of the BBC’s Culture In Quarantine initiative, audiences will once more be taken behind the scenes of the world famous museum of art, design and performance.

The V&A holds over 2.3 million objects spanning over 5000 years of human ingenuity and many different categories, from fashion to photography, sculpture to ceramics, and theatre to architecture.

The programmes explore both classic and contemporary fiction, from celebrated authors and those less well-known.

BBC’s regular book programmes such as The Radio Two Book Club with Jo Whiley, The Verb on BBC Radio Three, World Book Club on the World Service and Open Book on Radio Four will feature specials throughout the year.

A festival has also been set up in partnership with libraries and reading groups around the UK.

For a straight-talking man, it’s hard to define Werner Herzog. “Legend” is perhaps the easiest way to describe the 76-year-old, at least based on the reverential whispers that run around Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre ahead of his appearance at the city’s annual DocFest. Best known as the writer, director and producer of more than 60 films, Bavarian-born Herzog is also an author, actor and opera director.

The BBC Two documentary will be joined by a host of specialist programmes that range from the artistry of dance to new series The Novels That Shaped Our World (w/t), which will mark the 300th anniversary of Robinson Crusoe and the origins behind the British novel.

“This year we’ll be giving you a front-row seat to the best in arts and culture from celebrating the novel and the art of poetry with landmark programing, to encouraging participation in the arts with the return of Get Creative,” said Jonty Claypole, Director of Arts at BBC.