
BBC Radio 4 announces Artworks, a brand new podcast strand
The BBC has launched a new podcast feed, Artworks, the home for imaginative documentaries about culture and the arts from BBC Radio 4. Alongside existing podcast strands on BBC Sounds, such as Intrigue, Extreme, World of Secrets, Illuminated and Limelight, the Artworks strand will ensure high quality single programmes about culture are more discoverable for audiences.
As the go-to place for arts documentaries, listeners will have access to the incredible stories behind creative figures who have shaped our culture – today and in the past. Artworks will explore inspirational and influential poets, contemporary artists who are pushing boundaries, singers, actors, painters, dancers, writers and directors from across the world.
The new strand launches with the release of the latest run of Role Play: a series in which actors from across the world reflect on a single part they have all played: Episode One features performers including Dame Judi Dench and Dame Janet Suzman describe what it's like to play Cleopatra, taking us through the character's journey in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Subsequent episodes focus on Blanche Dubois from Streetcar Named Desire, with contributors including Cate Blanchett and Patsy Ferran; and Charles Dicken's Fagin, with Christopher Eccleston, Omid Djalili and Simon Lipkin amongst others.
Looking ahead, further documentaries being added to the Artworks umbrella strand include: Talk Talk: Living in Another World, which sees Elbow frontman Guy Garvey explore the mystery surrounding the pop group Talk Talk, their reclusive leader Mark Hollis, and the album 'Spirit of Eden', that saw him eschew fame and fortune in favour of something radically different; Hip Hop Homework, a look at Nkem Ifejika's relationship with hip hop and how he will share that with his young children and his worries about explicit aspects of the music and its culture; Art That Conquered the World, where art historian James Fox explores the twists of fate, changing fashions, auctions, thefts and memes that propelled the most well-known artworks into the artistic stratosphere; Paul Simon's Political Storm, where South African reporter Lynsey Chutel investigates the legacy of one the most controversial album roll-outs ever - Paul Simon's 1980s album 'Graceland'; Surrounded by Sound: Ray Dolby and the Art of Noise Reduction, where Matthew Sweet investigates the life of inventor Ray Dolby, and the transformative impact his sound system has had on cinema; and Orchestras of Auschwitz, where young conductor and composer Leo Geyer collaborates with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to study the concentration camp prisoner orchestras and decode their arrangements;
Previously released documentaries including What a Shocker! The Life of Leigh Bowery, Beyond Burns, 50 Years of the Koln Concert, Dreaming of Connie Converse and The Hazard of the Die will now also be located under the Artworks strand on BBC Sounds.
Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor for Arts at BBC Radio 4, says 'We are excited to launch the new digital strand, Artworks, as a go-to spot to distribute BBC Radio 4's arts and culture documentaries on BBC Sounds. Following the success of other strands, such as 'Limelight' - which ranked as the fifth most listened to podcast feed last quarter on BBC Sounds - we want to ensure arts documentaries and series are easily and readily accessible to all, whilst keeping up with the changing nature of the current audio landscape.'
The new series of Role Play lands on 24 February 2025.
Listen to Artworks now on BBC Sounds
CI2
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Press and Journal
30 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society: The group backed by Judi Dench that 'means so much to so many'
Driven by a unified passion for theatre Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society has been at the heart of the local community for more than 70 years. With the youngest member only six-years-old and the oldest 93, generations combine to bring the magic of stage to the Broch. Supporters of Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society (FJAS) include King Charles, legendary Oscar winning actor Dame Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley. Dame Judi's donation helped fund a sign that shines a beacon for arts and creativity through the streets of Fraserburgh town centre. Their latest production is an ambitious performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Fraserburgh Leisure Centre – complete with stunning glass elevator. Their rendition of the classic Roald Dahl novel also contains unique Oompa-Loompa's. Show producer Lewis Platt said: 'Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society means so much to so many people and we are very proud of the organisation. 'We are fully self-funded and rely on the goodness of people buying tickets for our shows. 'We have support from the King, Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley and the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. 'A donation from Dame Judi was used to buy a big Junior Arts logo for our 70th jubilee. 'Our logo sits above the Leisure Centre building and when it is on at night it lights up and shines right up the Broch. 'When you come down from Broadgate you can see our sign which is amazing.' Rising talent Caleb Patterson plays Charlie Bucket who visits the wonderful factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, played by Craig Roger. First published in 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory focuses on the adventure of 10-year-old Charlie and his grandpa Joe (Joss Duthie). In the irreverent, darkly comic children's novel Charlie wins a golden ticket to tour the magical chocolate factory. Timeless characters also include Augustus Gloop (Joss Maclaren), Veruca Salt (Eden Park), Violet Beauregarde (Zoe Burnett) and Mike Teavee (Ethan Doutre). FJAS's production also has unique Oompa-Loompas that are the result of tireless work from the costume design team. Lewis, who is also president of FJAS, said: 'We have a cast of 48 with our youngest member Caleb Patterson who is 12-years-old and plays Charlie Bucket. 'Caleb had never done anything with junior arts before but came to auditions in January and blew us away. 'He is great to work with and his singing voice is beautiful. 'We purchased a unique glass elevator that has come up from London and glows. 'It will fly about the stage. 'Our Oompa-Loompas are quite unique as they all have specialised costumes made for them. 'All the costumes are made of foam and are boxed out to make them look smaller and dumpier than they are . 'Our costume ladies Wendy Simpson and Doreen Gibson sat for many hours with their team cutting out foam, lining it and putting costumes into it. 'There are four different types of Oompas for different parts of the factory. 'When you see the workers in the chocolate room they are completely different from the ones in the nut room, mixing room and television room.' The origins of the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society trace back to 1952. A pantomime was staged by Fraserburgh Photographic Society that year to raise funds for equipment. Inspired by the success of the production the following year some of the members formed the Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society. The society represented Aberdeenshire in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, taking 200 youngsters to London to perform 'Our Town Story'. Lewis said: 'We sit 600 people per night with 4,200 people a week coming to see our show. 'We have 548 members that range from the age of six-years-old to 93. 'Our oldest member is Elma Goodlad who is 93 and makes our costumes. 'She has been making costumes for 50 years. 'Everything in Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society is built by us… all the sets, costumes and props. 'The only thing we take in is the script and light and sound where we use a company from Dundee. 'Even though it is amateur we try to make it as professional as we can. 'I have been in junior arts since I was eight and I'm 34 now. 'Many of us have been here for 20, 30 or 40 years. 'Doreen Gibson has been in our society for 50 years. 'Everything we do from the committee to front of house has a passion, from everyone.'


Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Martin Lewis helped me get £14k in council tax but I'm not happy
One of the consumer champion's fans shared a story on how he successfully challenged his council tax payment, only for there to be a sting in the tail Consumer champion Martin Lewis was heaped with praise online after his sage advice helped a man claim back more than £14,000 in excess council tax payments – yet the story took a bittersweet turn. One of his followers heeded the expert's advice and was over the moon to get tens of thousands of pounds back after discovering his property was placed in the wrong council tax band, only later to share there was a "sad" twist to the tale. Martin had initially uploaded a video on his X account encouraging the public to tune in to the latest instalment of his self-titled BBC Sounds podcast. In it, he complained about the council tax band system in England and Scotland. His message was paired with the caption: "Are you in one of 400,000 homes that are in the wrong council tax band? If so, you could be due £1,000s back!" He added: "It really is quite unbelievable that if you live in England and Scotland, the council tax band you are in today is still dictated by a stop-gap, drive-by valuation done back in 1991 that was only meant to last a couple of years. "And when I say drive-by, I'm literally talking a couple of estate agents in a car often, with a clipboard in second gear going, 'Band C, Band D, Band E' – and that is still in place today. So no surprise up to 400,000 homes are in the wrong band. If you're in the wrong band and if you challenge it, not only can you get it lowered, you can get a backdated payout back to when you moved in or 1993, whichever was sooner." The expert, who also hosts The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, later told people not to dispute their council tax band without doing their research first, adding: "However, don't just do this speculatively because then you could get it wrong and they put your band up or even your neighbour's band up. You need to follow my full, step-by-step check and challenge process that I go through in detail in the podcast." Taking this advice on board, one fan, Rob Dean, sought about correcting the council tax band for not only his mother's property but also that of his neighbours. He replied to Martin's video: "Did that for my mum following your guidance and got £6000+ back and then told the three neighbours who were also in the wrong band. Overall total was £14.5k. Only sad part is that we'd all overpaid the water rates too!" He made no suggestion that he had managed to claw back any of that money. Others also shared their experiences of challenging their council tax bands. One person said: "I've been waiting for a decision for more than six months," while another follower added: "Just checked mine as I've always thought it seemed too high – turns out I am in the right band, but right at the bottom of it!" A third person sought Martin's help, saying: "My sister challenged her band last October. VOA [Valuation Office Agency] said it can take up to a year before they decide!! Is this right??" Challenging your council tax band Martin's Money Saving Expert website offers a comprehensive guide on how to contest your council tax band, detailing the steps homeowners can take to secure a refund if they believe they've been incorrectly categorised. For an in-depth look at the procedure, click here. But in brief, he proposed two approaches for those looking to challenge their council tax band. The first step is to compare your band with that of neighbours in similar or identical properties, with resources available on his website for residents in England and Scotland to facilitate this comparison. The second step involves a valuation check, where individuals can use the Money Saving Expert site to estimate the value of their property back in 1991, which was when the current bands were established, despite the tax being introduced in 1993. Martin pointed out that anyone who purchased their home after 1991 can "use its price and date of sale" as a basis for valuation. However, he warned: "This can't be used as evidence if you challenge your band. But it enables you to check out various property prices on your street and is an important test that you're on the right track." If both criteria are met, Martin said that you can then present a challenge to the VOA, either formally or informally, recommending the formal route although acknowledging it's "available to fewer people". Those eligible to lodge a formal challenge must have "lived in the property for six months or less (it doesn't matter whether you own or rent, though if renting you should notify the landlord as a courtesy)". For individuals who can't make a formal challenge, Martin suggested: "Over the years we've heard feedback from people who've been told they can't challenge as they've lived in their property too long – yet the VOA has a statutory duty to uphold the integrity of Council Tax bands list. "This means you can still submit a request for an 'informal review' of your Council Tax band, though the burden is on you to provide compelling evidence that your band is wrong, to persuade the VOA to do the review."

South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Ed Sheeran says he identifies culturally as Irish
The Galway Girl singer, 34, who was brought up in Suffolk, has a large Irish family and said he would spend his holidays in the country as a child. 'I class my culture as Irish. I think that's what I grew up with,' he told The Louis Theroux Podcast. Ed Sheeran spoke to Louis Theroux (Ian West/PA) 'My mum's family is very, very small, it's her and her parents, and my dad's family is… he's got seven brothers and sisters. 'We'd spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland, I grew up with trad music in the house. So I identify culturally as Irish, but I was obviously born and raised in Britain. 'I do feel like my culture is something that I'm really proud of and grew up with and want to express. 'And I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn't necessarily mean that I have to just be (British), there's loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this.' He added: 'I don't think there's any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into.' Asked if he gets 'a lot of love' in Ireland, he said: 'I'd say it's basically my second home musically. I'd say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically.' Sheeran previously told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that he has Irish family and spent most of his childhood summers, birthdays and Christmases in the country. Also on the podcast, Sheeran reflected on the drawbacks of fame and said he is 'really sensitive' to people taking pictures of his children. 'My first daughter, six weeks after she was born, we hadn't sent any photos of her whatsoever, but there was paparazzi outside our house that got a photo of her, and it was in the paper and I just found it weird that some strange old man that I'd never met was the only person with an image of my kid on their device. 'It's a strange trade-off because, obviously, to be successful in the music industry, you end up being rich, famous and successful, and those things are things that people go, 'Well, that's the trade-off.' 'But my kids have not signed up to that, and I find it weird that it's normal to take pictures of other people's children if they're famous.' Sheeran is married to Cherry Seaborn and the couple have two children. The four-time Grammy-winning singer also revealed that he does not own a private jet and likes to travel via train. 'I like the environment, I like trees. I'd find it hard to justify. No one's perfect. When we're doing intense promo trips, there will be the odd time', he told Theroux.