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Imagine
BBC
ONE's arts and culture strand, presented by Alan Yentob, returns
November 2003
The
series starts on Wednesday 12 November, BBC ONE at 10.35pm with
The Voice of Bryn Terfel
Imagine
is back with a new season of arts and culture to fire the imagination
as the cold nights draw in.
Having
explored topics as wide ranging as abstract sculpture, fashion and
ballet in the opening run, Imagine returns to take a fresh look
at the world of arts and culture by tackling subjects as diverse
as classical music, architecture, TV comedy and photography.
A
range of internationally acclaimed British artists come under scrutiny
in this run of films.
From
Victorian architect Sir John Soane whose
huge influence on the design world is still felt strongly today,
to distinguished Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel
and quirky photographer Martin Parr,
Imagine profiles these three very different artists and explores
how they made their mark.
The
series also looks at recent developments in the worlds of animation
and British comedy, and tells the
strange tale of how convicts, scholars and recluses brought the
Oxford English Dictionary into being.
The
inspiring subjects in this seasons Imagine are:
The
Voice of Bryn Terfel
Wednesday 12 November
Probably
the greatest bass baritone in the world, Welsh classical music star
Bryn Terfel has been electrifying audiences around the globe for
over a decade.
Alan
Yentob embarks on an investigation of Terfel's awe-inspiring voice
and finds out from him how he adapts its extraordinary skills to
different ends from Wagner through to Welsh traditional song.
He
talks to fellow musicians, Jose Carreras, Claudio
Abbado, Andrea Bocelli, Renee Fleming and Elvis Costello about
his voice and discovers the extent of this international performer's
love for his homeland of Wales.
A
Funny Business
Wednesday 19 November
Hot
on the heels of the success of Britain's reality TV formats in the
United States comes the current spate of British sitcoms headed
stateside.
All
very exciting and lucrative for the British writers and producers,
but the key difference with American network TV is that in order
for a series to survive it must deliver audiences to the commercials
- or die.
By
following the US version of Coupling from pilot to network
and considering how The Office will translate, Imagine explores
the current popularity of UK comedy in the US and examines the transformations
that British comedies undergo during the Atlantic crossing.
Through
archive footage and interviews, Imagine reveals how often US versions
of classic British comedies go spectacularly wrong and asks whether
American executives have learnt from past mistakes such as the US
version of Porridge or the casting of Bill Cosby as One Foot in
the Grave's Victor Meldrew.
Entertaining
Mr Soane
Wednesday 26 November
The
architectural visionary Sir John Soane is often forgotten when recalling
the true greats of English architecture.
But
this ambitious bricklayer's son, born in 1753, was the first great
innovator of British architecture who broke away from classical
styles.
Using
dramatic reconstructions featuring Corin Redgrave as Soane
and Sam West as his student Wightwick, Imagine tells the
story of this great Georgian architect, a man who sadly has only
a handful of buildings he designed left intact, but whose influence
can be felt throughout British design – even in the familiar red
telephone box.
The
World According to Parr
Wednesday 3 December
A sharply
satirical eye and uncanny ability to find the extraordinary in the
ordinary have made British photographer Martin Parr a figure of
international repute.
This
snapper of seaside scenes and suburban semis has come a long way
since his days as a photographer at Butlins.
His
retrospective, currently on a world tour of cities as diverse as
Madrid, Tokyo and Mexico, demonstrates how unerringly his pictures
have captured three decades of quintessentially British life.
Imagine
follows Martin Parr with his camera, and at his home, to paint a
portrait of this former train spotter, and darling of commercials
and media, who remains utterly eccentric.
From
Pencils to Pixels
Wednesday 10 December
Imagine
celebrates the phenomena of the animated feature film, which has
had audiences spellbound since its beginnings in 1911.
Back
in the early days everything was done by hand, but that all changed
with the release of Hollywood's first computer-generated feature
film, Toy Story, in 1995.
At
the point when Hollywood seems to be forsaking traditional hand-drawn
animation in favour of the computer, Imagine talks to the people
at the heart of the industry to try and find out whether this really
is the end for traditional animation techniques.
An
A-Z of the OED
Thursday 18 December
This
is the bizarre tale of the making of perhaps the greatest book in
the English language, which took 60 years to create, the Oxford
English Dictionary.
From
murderers in Broadmoor to little old ladies in Bognor, the book
was compiled by a bunch of remarkable characters, eccentrics, scholars
and recluses who worked together to create this massive repository
of the meaning of our language which continues to evolve right up
to the present day.
Imagine
tells this remarkable story of Victorian achievement through dramatic
reconstructions and insightful interviews.
Notes
to Editors
Series
one press pack (23.05.03)
All the
BBC's digital services are now available on Freeview,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the BBC's eight television channels, interactive services
from BBCi, as well as 11 national BBC radio networks.
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