Rise of the Cities
Rise of the Cities charts the decisive shift of power from countryside to the city during the 19th century. With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, a divide opened up between city and country, forcing artists to respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape. Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson reflects on the inspiration of JMW Turner, arguably the first environmental artist, and we encounter Penry Williams' attempt to capture the beauty of industry with paintings like Cyfarthfa Ironworks Interior at Night.
Some artists attempt to capture the poverty and squalor caused by the rapid urbanisation around them. Actress Maxine Peake reads from Elizabeth Gaskell's campaigning novel North and South while architect Fiona Sinclair assesses Alexander ‘Greek' Thomson's architecture for the people of Glasgow and artist Jeremy Deller explores William Morris' drive to bring nature back into Victorian homes through his hand-crafted wallpaper designs.
As art becomes appropriated by commerce in the late 19th century, some artists fight back with new individuality and flair. Writer and drag performer Amrou Al-Kadhi explores the meaning and inspiration of Oscar Wilde's writing and artist Shani Rhys James reflects on the quiet anger that simmers underneath Walter Sickert's Camden Town Nudes, an unflinching vision of the grimy realities of working class lives at the turn of the 20th century.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Daily Show
Hosted by a rotating cast of comedy greats, The Daily Show remains the go-to source for provocative satire, insightful interviews and an award-winning team of correspondents and contributors.
Digman!
Digman! is set in a world where archaeologists are massive celebrities and the coolest people on the planet.
After the Flood
After the Flood is set in a town hit by a devastating flood. When an unidentified man is found dead in a lift in an underground car park police assume he became trapped as the waters rose, and as the investigation unfolds PC Joanna Marshall becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to him.
How did he get in the lift and why does no one know who he is?
The floods threaten to expose secrets, and fortunes and reputations are at stake. But how far will people go to protect themselves?
LEGO Masters
Based on the hit British reality-competition series of the same name, LEGO Masters brings imagination, design and creativity to life when teams of LEGO enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of LEGO bricks. Teams of two will compete against each other in ambitious brick-building challenges to be crowned the country's most talented amateur LEGO builders. In each episode, the competing pairs who most impress the judges will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the grand title of LEGO Masters.