The South Bank Show

The South Bank Show is a British- made television arts magazine show, presented by Melvyn Bragg and seen in over 60 countries - 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.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Awards 3 Directors 4 Theme music 5 External links

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.

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.

Directors

Directors who have made South Bank Show progerammes include:

• Kim Evans
• Andy Harries
• Mary Harron
• Ken Loach
• Ken Russell
• James Ivory

Sir David Lean once said:

"The best directors in Britain are working on The South Bank Show."

Theme music

The famous theme music is an Andrew Lloyd Webber arrangement on the theme from Paganini's 24th Caprice.

External links

• South Bank Show official site