The South Bank Show

Infobox Television
show_name = The South Bank Show


size =
caption =
country = United Kingdom
format = Arts
picture_format =
runtime = 60 minutes
creator =
presenter = Melvyn Bragg
channel = ITV
first_aired = 14 January 1978
last_aired = Present
num_series =
num_episodes =
producer = LWT
related =
imdb_id =

"The South Bank Show" is an award-winning television arts magazine show, made by London Weekend Television, presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast on ITV and seen in over 60 countries worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. Its stated aim is to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.

History

It first aired on 14 January 1978, with a show about Germaine Greer, Gerald Scarfe and Paul McCartney. It is now the longest continuously running arts programme on UK television, and the third longest-running series of any kind on ITV (after "Coronation Street" and "Emmerdale").

From the beginning the series intention was to mix so-called high art with popular culture. This has remained, and the programme has always focused predominantly on art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Awards

It has been awarded more than 110 awards (including 12 BAFTAs, 6 Emmys, 5 Prix Italia and 4 RTS Awards). Even Pat Gavin's animated title sequences have won 2 BAFTAs.

ubjects

There have been many subjects of the show, including:
* Paul McCartney in 1978
* Ken Dodd in 1978
* Francis Ford Coppola in 1979
* Arthur Miller in 1980
* Sir Laurence Olivier in 1982
* Peter Gabriel in 1982
* Gene Hackman in 1983
* Oscar Peterson in 1984
* Sir Alec Guinness in 1985
* Francis Bacon in 1985
* John Cleese in 1986
* Fay Godwin in 1986
* Eric Clapton in 1987
* The Smiths in 1987
* Paul Bowles in 1988
* Robert Redford in 1989
* Pet Shop Boys in 1990
* Douglas Adams in 1992
* Anthony Hopkins in 1992
* Elaine Paige in 1996
* Marlene Dietrich in 1996
* Sir John Mills in 1996
* Bee Gees in 1997
* Björk in 1997
* Iain Banks in 1997
* Blur in 1999
* Juan Diego Florez in 2002
* Ewan McGregor in 2003
* Ron Wood in 2004
* Sir Malcolm Arnold in 2004
* The Darkness in 2004
* Dusty Springfield in 2006
* George Michael in 2006
* Jarvis Cocker in 2007
* Victoria Wood in 2007
* June Whitfield in 2007
* Annie Lennox in 2007
* Eric Clapton in 2007
* The Nutcracker (ballet) in 2007
* Nick Park in 2007
* Liza Minnelli in 2008

Directors

Sir David Lean once said, "The best directors in Britain are working on "The South Bank Show"." Directors who have made editions of the programme include:
*Kim Evans
*Andy Harries
*Mary Harron
*Tony Knox
*Ken Loach
*Ken Russell
*Jeremy Marre
*James Ivory
*Sebastian Doggart
*Tony Palmer

Theme music and visuals

The famous theme music is taken from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Variations" composed in 1977 for his brother, the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. This is based on the theme from Paganini's "24th Caprice". The brand image of the programme is an animated version of a detail from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling painting, specifically the image of the Hand of God giving life to Adam. It shows the two hands meeting, generating a lightning bolt.

Parody

The comedy series "Dead Ringers" often parodies "The South Bank Show". It does this in a series of sketches called "South Bank", a cross between "The South Bank Show" and the American cartoon "South Park", set in the South Bank of London. In these sketches, Melvyn Bragg is Stan Marsh, Alan Yentob is Kyle Broflovski, Mark Lawson is Eric Cartman and Kenneth Branagh is Kenny McCormick.

Harry Enfield's TV film Norbert Smith - a Life is a parody edition of the South Bank Show.

Podcast

From 18 September 2006, ITV have begun releasing a podcast of the interviews from the show, including extra material that isn't broadcast. There are plans to release past interviews as part of the podcast as well. [cite news
title = "The South Bank Show" - Podcasts
publisher = itv.com
date =
url = http://www.itv.com/entertainment/chatandtalent/southbankshow/podcast
accessdate = 2007-09-07]

References

External links

*itv.com|id=southbankshow|title="The South Bank Show"
* [http://epguides.com/SouthBankShow/ Complete list of subjects from epguides.com]
*imdb title|id=0077082|title=The South Bank Show
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCb90JpvxY Variations performance] by Julian Lloyd Webber and Colosseum II