South Bank Show 2013 subjects announced

Tim Minchin, Alison Balsom, David Hare, Alfie Boe, Tamara Rojo, Paula Rego and Tracey Emin are the subect of the lastest episodes of long running arts series The South Bank Show, hosted by Melvin Bragg, (left).

Described as the most respected arts programme in the world, which ITV ditched after three decades, The South Bank Show, returns to its current home of Sky Arts on the 18th of April with a great line-up of in-depth interviews, showcasing the works of the finest living practitioners across the arts.

Tim Minchin, the controversial award-winning comedian and songwriter who has enjoyed extraordinary success with his recent project Matilda the Musical, revisits his home in Perth and discusses how his love of music theatre and satire has informed his work while David Hare gives an exclusive television interview for the first time in 30 years, as he discusses his career as a leading playwright, director and Hollywood screenwriter.

Alison Balsom, the youngest and one of a few trumpet soloists on the world stage today. She talks with Melvyn Bragg about her intense training, gruelling schedule and performing highs while Alfie Boe, the tenor whose unlikely beginnings as a car mechanic have led to the most extraordinary international successes and sell-out performances on Broadway, talks candidly about his life and career in Fleetwood, Washington and the Cotswolds.

The series profiles Tamara Rojo, arguably one of the world’s most celebrated and popular dancers, as she takes up her biggest challenge to date – Artistic Director of English National Ballet and in the final episode in the series interviews Tracey Emin, Paula Rego, Paul Noble and Peter Doig, with contributions from David Hockney, Damien Hirst and Francis Bacon, as they discuss the revival of drawing and painting in Britain.

“The show came to Sky Arts in 2012. It has been a lynchpin of arts and culture broadcasting for over thirty-three years, exploring the works of some of the finest living artists, musicians, performers and writers.” – Sky Arts

Edited and Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the new series will keep to the tradition of the series, which was launched in 1978 by London Weekend Television for ITV, by looking at a catholic range of subjects from classical music, dance, theatre and contemporary art as outlined above.

“We’re delighted that The South Bank Show returns to Sky Arts with such an extraordinary line-up,” comments Melvyn Bragg. “From David Hare to Alfie Boe, Tamara Rojo to Paula Rego, these remarkable people are among the finest contemporary artists at work today and it has been a huge privilege to secure exclusive interviews and access for the series.”

The South Bank Show will begin on 18th April, at 9.30pm on Sky Arts 1 HD, and will be available live and on-demand on Sky Go.

[Reported by Mike Watkins]