Helen Mirren, Frank Skinner and Carlos Acosta are set to appear in a brand-new series of The South Bank Show this July, alongside the return of The South Bank Sky Arts Awards

The South Bank Show, one of the UK's most loved and longest standing arts and culture programmes, returns on Wednesday 20th July on Sky Arts, Freeview channel 11, and NOW with three brand new episodes. The South Bank Sky Arts Awards ceremony will return to The Savoy London on Sunday 10th July, followed by its on-screen Sky Arts broadcast on Wednesday 13th July.

Edited and presented by Melvyn Bragg, the new three-part series of The South Bank Show showcases talent from the worlds of acting, comedy, and dance with films about Helen Mirren, Frank Skinner and Carlos Acosta.

Helen Mirren is one of the best-known and most respected actresses in the world, with a career that spans over 30 years. In the first episode of the series, she joins Melvyn to discuss her diverse and prolific career across theatre, film, and television, exploring a range of work including her early days at the Royal Shakespeare Company to her extraordinary Oscar winning performance in The Queen.

Comedian and writer Frank Skinner has become one of Britain's best-loved and most successful comedians since his debut on the comedy circuit in 1987. Frank talks to Melvyn about his working-class upbringing, his decision to embark on a career as a comedian at the relatively late age of 30, and the success of his TV presenting career including Fantasy Football League and The Frank Skinner Show.

Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta has captivated audiences around the world throughout his 30-year career. Celebrated for his athleticism, phenomenal technique and magnetic stage presence, Carlos talks to Melvyn about his life and career, starting with his childhood in Cuba and his performance at the Prix De Lausanne international youth ballet competition which made him the youngest ever principal with the English National Ballet.

Longer-form 90-minute episodes of The South Bank Show will also air in late-August, giving audiences the opportunity to learn more about the incredible careers of Helen, Frank and Carlos through extended interviews with host Melvyn Bragg.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards is the only awards show in the world which celebrates every genre of the Arts, including Dance, Theatre, Pop, TV Drama, Film, Classical Musical, Literature, Opera, Comedy and Visual Art.

All nominees for the South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2022 will be released soon. Previous winners include Stormzy, Tom Hiddleston, Ian McEwan, Sam Mendes, Amy Winehouse, Steve Coogan, Grayson Perry, Akram Khan, Steve McQueen, Alan Bennett, and Kate Bush.

The South Bank Show is part of a portfolio of South Bank content on Sky Arts produced by Directors Cut Productions, which includes The South Bank Sky Arts Awards, the only awards ceremony in the world to represent the entire spectrum of the Arts.

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards will take place on Sunday 10th July at The Savoy London.

The Awards broadcast airs on Wednesday 13th July, followed by The South Bank Show airing on Wednesday 20th July on Sky Arts, freeview channel 11, and streaming service NOW.

For more information please contact:

Premier PR - dcptv@premiercomms.com

TX Order:

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards - Wednesday 13 July, 10pm

Episode 1 - Helen Mirren - Wednesday 20 July, 10pm

Episode 2 - Frank Skinner - Wednesday 27 July, 10pm

Episode 3 - Carlos Acosta - Wednesday 3 August, 10pm

Melvyn Bragg and Helen Mirren: The Extended Interview - Tuesday 30 August, 11pm

Melvyn Bragg and Frank Skinner: The Extended Interview - Tuesday 6 September, 11pm

Melvyn Bragg and Carlos Acosta: The Extended Interview - Tuesday 13 September, 11pm

About Sky Arts

Sky Arts exists to bring more art to more people across the UK. In 2020, with the creative industries under serious threat, we threw open our doors to make the channel free for everyone to watch. We've redoubled our mission to increase access to the arts and we're committed to getting everyone involved as the industry recovers. The fact is, we need the arts now like never before, and Sky Arts brings them straight to your living room.

We have something for everyone, championing creative talent by showcasing the best in music, theatre, dance, literature, opera and visual art. From Glyndebourne to Grime and C zanne to The Style Council, we've got your passions covered. Millions of viewers tune in to hit returning series such as Portrait Artist of the Year, Urban Myths and British cultural institution The South Bank Show, but our acclaimed new programmes might take you anywhere from Pinter's house with Danny Dyer to a Scottish road trip with Samuel Johnson.

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. Sky Arts is the headline sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK, and we work with cultural partners across the country including the English National Opera, Royal Academy of Arts, Tate, Creative Industries Federation and Coventry City of Culture to name but a few.

You can watch Sky Arts for free on Freeview channel 11 and Freesat channel 147. If you've got Sky or a Now TV entertainment pass, you can also watch over 2,000 hours of shows exclusively on demand.

We're passionate about supporting the next generation of artists, so we're working with five leading Sky Arts Ambassadors - Booker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo, dance artist Akram Khan, conductor Charles Hazlewood, Theatre Royal Stratford East Artistic Director Nadia Fall, and sculptor Anish Kapoor - to run bursary schemes for new and emerging talent.

About NOW

NOW is the home of brilliant entertainment. We're one of the UK's leading streaming platforms with critically acclaimed shows, new and exclusive movies, unmissable sport and epic kids TV - all with no contract. Join in with an Entertainment, Cinema, Sports, Kids or hayu Membership to stream instantly across TV, mobile, desktop and over 60 other devices. Watch on the go and

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