Melvyn Bragg

To mark his fiftieth birthday in 1988, London's Tate Gallery staged a major retrospective of his work. Melvyn Bragg joined David Hockney for an exclusive private view of the exhibition and they were filmed discussing pictures from all stages of Hockney's remarkable career.

A mockumentary charting the life and career of the fictitious British actor Sir Norbert Smith.

An intimate portrait of David Hockney, featuring interviews with the artist - one of Britain's most beloved painters - in London and Normandy, and exclusive new footage of a master at work.

Filmed in his London studio, David Hockney sits down with Melvyn Bragg to discuss his remarkable life and career, illustrated by a wide range of his vibrant and joyous artworks.

The celebrated British artist discusses his life and work with Melvyn Bragg in his Normandy studio, revealing his influences, inspirations and plans to keep on painting.

Melvyn Bragg sets out to unravel the many questions surrounding one of the Bible's most enigmatic and controversial figures: Mary Magdalene.

Francis Bacon revolutionised figurative painting in the 20th century. The English painter unmasked his subjects in a provocative and ruthless manner. Deformed bodies, grimacing faces and the materiality of colour make us aware of brutality and sexuality, existential abysses and the fears of existence. Author Melvyn Bragg accompanies the painter throughout his day. This begins in his London atelier, leads us on to his favourite pub and ends up in gambling club in Soho.

Profile of fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood.

Spoof documentary looking at the life of Normal Stanley Fletcher, the star of 1970s sitcom Porridge played by Ronnie Barker. Featuring fictional footage and interviews with the character's family, friends and associates, the film documents Fletcher's chequered career.

Bernard Bottle, a mild mannered art buyer, is fired by his greedy boss, abandoned by his girlfriend and discovers a genie in an old bottle. The genie immediately embraces the modern world and helps Bernard on the side.

The works of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), one of the best known English Romantic artists, still play a leading role in the art market to this day. Since 1987 the majority of his pictures have been exhibited at the Clore Gallery, a separate building of Tate Britain. Daniel Wiles visits the gallery to explore the life and works of this eccentric artist, and also talks to countless experts and artists in an attempt to establish what it is about William Turner’s pictures that still fascinates so many people.

A surprisingly candid behind-the-scenes account of the career of Ken Loach, one of Britain’s most celebrated and controversial filmmakers, as he prepares to release his final major film I, Daniel Blake.

The history of the English language presented by Melvyn Bragg; from its modest beginnings around 500 AD as a minor Germanic dialect to its rise as a global language.

Quadruple Professor Adonis Cnut is the cleverest man in Britain and Oxford's leading moral philosopher. He is paid huge amounts of money for his views, consulted by the government, but he is bored and wants adventure, so he joins the shadowy organization The Council which controls everything going on in the world.

The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky Arts from 27 May 2012. Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the show aims to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.

Norbert Smith – a Life is a spoof TV documentary about the fictional British actor Sir Norbert Smith, played by Harry Enfield. Written by Enfield and Geoffrey Perkins and directed by Geoff Posner, it was made by Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4 and first aired on 3 November 1989. Styled like an episode of The South Bank Show, it features Melvyn Bragg playing himself as he interviews Sir Norbert at home. The comedy comes from the gap between Norbert’s reputation as a great “Knight of the Theatre” and the poor opinions of his peers, his weak film career, and his confused memories in old age. The film also parodies 20th-century cinema through clips showing Enfield as Norbert in different movie roles.