BBC Arts reveals the subjects of the interview strand celebrating some of the UK’s leading creative minds on BBC One this Autumn…
Ranging from Britain’s biggest voice Sir Tom Jones, to novelist, journalist and author of The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth, visual artist Yinka Shonibare, celebrated crime writer Val McDermid and contemporary artist Cornelia Parker, the series will bring Beeb audiences closer to the careers and life stories of some of the country’s leading cultural figures.
Made up of intimate first-person testimony and archive, the series of single films showcases great arts stories combined with real psychological revelation.
Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor for BBC Arts:
“I’m delighted that we are coming back with a second series of a strand that has firmly established itself, celebrating some of the country’s greatest cultural figures. In My Own Words shows us the myriad paths that the creative life can follow – from a farming childhood to conceptual art, cold war journalism to blockbuster thriller writing, the Welsh Valleys to superstardom – and the remarkable combination of talent and tenacity that goes into making art.”
Britain’s biggest voice, Sir Tom Jones, reflects on his extraordinary life and stellar career in song in this intimate and heartfelt interview. Featuring rare, unseen archive footage and visits to places that play a big part in his story, it’s a moving portrait of a national treasure as Tom looks back on the joy and pain of life and loss.
A rare insight into British Nigerian multi-disciplinary visual artist Yinka Shonibare’s life and work, this thought-provoking and often emotional documentary takes the viewer deep into Yinka’s world. Through extensive personal testimony and archive footage, much of which Yinka has never seen before, the film explores his inspirations and influences, as well as the events and forces which have shaped his life.
The “Queen of Crime” Val McDermid reflects on her colourful writing career with unapologetic honesty and a black sense of humour. Opening up about the real-life inspirations behind her award-winning novels, which have sold twenty million copies around the world, Val looks back at some of her most iconic characters – from the psychological profiler Tony Hill to the tenacious cold case cop Karen Pirie.
In this candid and compelling film, legendary British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth looks back on his extraordinary life as a witness to history and a master storyteller, whose truth is often just as gripping as his fiction. Author of such iconic novels as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, Frederick revisits becoming the youngest ever RAF pilot, a foreign correspondent, BBC reporter, and MI6 informant.
One of Britain’s best loved and most acclaimed contemporary artists, Cornelia Parker, reveals herself as a painter for the first time as she works towards a new exhibition. Through personal archive, alongside her masterpieces, this intimate film explores Cornelia’s own emotional and unconventional journey to becoming an artist.
Watch In My Own Words on BBC iPlayer
