The South African Zulu pianist and composer Bheki Mseleku is held in high esteem by colleagues in the jazz world and is rapidly establishing an international reputation. The first part of this programme centres round an informal session in which Bheki plays with trumpeter Hugh Masekela and saxophonist Courtney Pine, and the second part travels to New York to show him working in studio, recordings tracks with Pharaoh Sanders and Abbey Lincoln.
Christian Boltanski
This exploration of the thoughtful and provocative world of Christian Boltanski centres on an interview with the enigmatic installation artist, whose work deals explicitly in death. Born in Paris in 1944, he gives a fascinating insight into his creative impulses as he talks about his unusual Jewish-Catholic upbringing. He gives the impression that, with his own life, as well as with his art, he is constantly posing questions about the recoverability of the past, the uniqueness of identity and the reliability of evidence.
Tim Rice
From his first meeting with a young composer called Andrew Lloyd Webber, to his Oscar-winning songs for Disney’s Aladdin and The Lion King, this programme traces Tim Rice’s development as a lyricist. It centres on a relaxed and informative television interview with the man who is never at a loss for words. Rice and Lloyd Webber talk about the development of shows they created together, such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
Clive Barker
Novelist, film-maker and artist Clive Barker is the leader of the popular fantasy and horror genre, with international best-sellers such as Weaveworld and box office hits including the Hellraiser features to his credit. This programme charts Barker’s extraordinary progress from his home town of Liverpool to Hollywood, where he now lives, and explores his literary and cinematic journeys into the darker reaches of human experience.
The Glory of Gershwin
The best-selling Glory of Gershwin album, master-minded by the great harmonica player Larry Adler and produced by the legendary George Martin, brought together a host of stars to perform Gershwin songs of their choice, among them Elton John, Robert Palmer, Oleta Adams, Lisa Stansfield and Sinead O’Connor. This programme sits in on the recording sessions and canvasses the artists’ thoughts on why Gershwin’s music has such unique and lasting appeal.
George Shearing
George Shearing, blind since birth, is one of the world’s greatest living jazz pianists. Filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, this tribute to Shearing showcases the music which took the jazz world by storm. Specially-shot performances and archive clips feature music spanning the six decades of his remarkable career and classics such as September in the Rain, Lullaby of Birdland, Greensleeves, Donna Lee and Freedom Jazz Dance are included, as well as many other recent compositions.
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker has been described as the owner of the sexiest voice in music. He has released more records than any other blues artist and, along with B. B. King, he is probably the best known. This programme visits Hooker at his San Francisco home, sits in on a recording session and follows him to a local nightclub. It also travels to Clarksdale, Mississippi, in search of his roots and to Detroit, where Hooker first made his name in 1948 with the million-selling record Boogie Chillen.
Bauhaus
The Bauhaus (1919-33) is the most famous school of architecture, design and craftsmanship of modern times. It helped establish a relationship between design and industry. ‘Bauhaus’ became synonymous with rationalised, sharp-edged, machine-based style. This programme looks at the development of the Bauhaus and at key figures involved in it, as well as setting its history in the context of the political unrest and economic chaos of the Weimar Republic.
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is widely acclaimed as Canada’s most eminent novelist, poet and critic. Her books, among them The Handmaid’s Tale and Cat’s Eye, have earned her enormous respect and numerous awards in the literary world. She is noted for her deep understanding of human behaviour, a beautifully understated style and a tremendously broad scope. Interviewed in and around her home in Toronto, Atwood talks about her writing in a programme which focuses on her book The Robber Bride.
John Steinbeck
This profile of one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century reassesses this classic American novelist and reveals that there is more to his work than the gritty social realism normally associated with his name. Shot on location in the places that inspired Steinbeck’s books, the programme includes interviews with his widow, his biographer and others who knew him.