Sky Arts

A show commemorating the 30th anniversary of the former Beatle's death. His contemporaries and current commentators reflect on the role of John Lennon, the artist and radical thinker.

London, England, 2008. Some of the most distinguished experts on the work of Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) gather at the National Gallery to examine a painting known as Salvator Mundi; an event that turns out to be the first act of one of the most fascinating stories in the history of art.

One of the greatest actors of the twentieth century, von Sydow is best known for his long creative partnership with director Ingmar Bergman, whose psychologically probing dramas—including their most famous collaboration, THE SEVENTH SEAL—gave the actor freedom to bare his soul and showcase his unfailingly commanding screen presence. In addition to the string of masterpieces he made with the Swedish auteur, von Sydow embodied a wide range of characters in films by art-house titans such as Jan Troell, Lars von Trier, and Wim Wenders, leaving behind a body of work that spans more than six decades and a dozen different countries. He appeared in more than one hundred and fifty films and television series in multiple languages. Max von Sydow received his French citizenship in 2002 and lived in France for the last two decades of his life.

In 1991 50-year old John Lennon, living on the dole in Birmingham and following the moderate success of the Beatles, recalls how he left the band in 1962 after they were persuaded to release 'How Do You Do It?' as a single, rather than 'Love Me Do'.

Glyndebourne's Saul stole the summer and had critics raving. The Guardian (****) applauded virtuoso stagecraft from director Barrie Kosky in his debut production there, calling the show a theatrical and musical feast of energetic choruses, surreal choreography and gorgeous singing. For The Independent, which ranked it amongst five top classical and opera performances of 2015, there was no praise too high for the cast. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Ivor Bolton sparkles from the pit with period panache, and designer Katrin Lea Tag's exuberant costumes (The Times ****) set the Old Testament story in Handel's time, with a witty twinge of the contemporary.

Unparalleled access to the world renowned rockstar, Liam Gallagher, as he heads to the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales with his sons, Lennon and Gene for 48 hours of music, memories and mayhem.

SKY ARTS presents Suede's Coming Up (released on Nude Records in 1996) in the Classic Albums series.

40 years after he last played the Wembley Arena, Gary Numan staged the comeback of a lifetime. Follow Numan on his road back to Wembley and follow his turbulent careers, from the crushing lows to the exhilarating highs.

Parisian bon vivant, World War II Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband and recluse…Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts. Titled after Beckett’s famous ethos “Dance first, think later”, the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

When confronted by soldiers and a reporter in a subterranean concert hall within his presidential palace, dictator Diman Cha delivers a series of powerful monologues to the world’s media revealing his deranged nature, accompanied by organist Martin Hasselböck‘s improvised classical pieces of music.

In December 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had not spoken to the media for more than five years. With a new album to promote Lennon was prepared to speak in New York to Radio One D.J. Andy Peebles of the BBC. John surprised everyone by candidly discussing a variety of subjects he'd never spoken of before including The Beatles break-up, his relationship with Paul McCartney, his battles with addiction, political issues in the US and UK, his family and his homesickness for Liverpool. Lennon's heartfelt honesty and forthright revelations make this film all the more potent as he was brutally shot and murdered 48 hours later. John Lennon was just 40 years of age when he died. December 2020 is the 40th anniversary of his death. He would have been 80 years of age.

A story about one of the most famous and mysterious archaeological sites in the world.

While it may be universally acknowledged that she’s one of the great English writers, Giles Coren breaks down his many reasons for hating Jane Austen.

Documentary on the art and culture of Florence in 15th century Tuscany and, in particular, the work of Eary Ranaissance painter Sandro Botticelli (1445-1501).

The struggle of a lone sniper in a dystopian future Britain plagued with rabies and ruled over by a sinistrous Ministry of Information.

Pet Shop Boys headlined the Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday, June 22, 2024, as part of their 'Dreamworld' Greatest Hits tour. The set included hits like "West End Girls", "Being Boring" and "Always on My Mind". Their performance was also broadcast on Sky Arts in the UK.

Ian Nathan, Neil Norman and Stephen Armstrong run through their top 25 sci-films of the last century, including The Matrix and Planet of the Apes.

In The Turning Point, written by Michael Dobbs, Benedict Cumberbatch takes the role of Guy Burgess while Matthew Marsh plays the part of Winston Churchill. The play was part of the Sky Arts Theatre Live! Series, which won the Broadcasting Press Guild Best Multichannel Programme Award.

The film looks at the places Charles Dickens lived and worked and how he used them in his novels and stories.