Sunday 7^th October at 7pm on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Go

Felix Dennis, the notorious multimillionaire publisher and poet will be the subject of a new film produced by Initial, an Endemol company and premieres on Sky Arts this autumn.

As one of the richest men in the UK, Dennis has sold more magazines than almost any man alive and made more than £500m from his company Dennis Publishing. He has been responsible for some of the most well-known and successful titles in the world, including Maxim and The Week.

Having conquered the publishing industry and his own demons of drink and drugs Dennis discovered, late on in life and following an illness, that he had an irresistible artistic and literary calling. This film explores the phenomenon of Dennis’s latest incarnation, as one of Britain’s most successful poets. 

His first collection of poetry A Glass Half Full was published to huge critical acclaim in 2002. Since then he has spent an entire decade of his life developing his writing, gone on to produce six volumes of poetry and undertaken several high profile and successful nationwide tours, as well as touring the USA. The RSC has performed his work on both sides of the Atlantic.

This film explores that phenomenon in the context of an extraordinary life story. 

Felix Dennis: Millionaire Poet takes a critical look at Dennis’s work in the context of his life and the state of poetry in the UK today. Directed by Andy Robbins and shot with a small crew over several months, the film had unprecedented access to Dennis’ private world.

Dennis’s own personality dominates the film and is relentlessly fascinating, as he expresses himself in a unique and often outspoken way on subjects ranging across poetry, business, wealth, luck, addiction, art and death. Dennis was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2012, during the making of this film.   

With contributions from Tom Wolfe, Stephen Fry, Jon Snow, Benjamin Zephaniah and others, the film is funny, entertaining, tragic and, ultimately, life-affirming.

“This film is a remarkable portrayal of an extraordinary life," comments James Hunt, Channel Director of Sky Arts. “A complex and unique character, Dennis’s journey from infamous publisher and ex-con to celebrated and acclaimed poet will fascinate and intrigue our viewers.”   

Jules Fuller, Executive Producer at Initial adds: “Felix is an intriguing, larger than life character and an incredibly talented poet whose work is by turns swaggering, rebellious, insightful and poignant and also genuinely accessible. This film captures Dennis’ distinctive personality and talent and we’ve immensely enjoyed working with him on this project and salute his bravery during his fight against cancer.”

It was produced by John Paul Chapple and executive produced by Jules Fuller for Initial, part of Endemol UK, with Jonathan Rothery executive producing for Sky Arts.

Felix Dennis: Millionaire Poet reflects Sky’s promise to deliver high-quality, exclusive content to customers, supported by a commitment to increase investment in home-grown programming to £600 million by 2014, an increase of more than 50% over three years.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Katherine Solomon PR Manager, Sky Press Office

T: 0207 032 0599

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Dominic Collett Sky Arts Publicist, Sky Press Office

T: 0207 032 4892

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NOTES TO EDITOR

About Sky Arts

Sky is the only broadcaster in the UK and Ireland with channels dedicated solely to the arts, with 48 hours of the best arts content from around the world across Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 daily. Recent highlights include the latest season of the Met Opera, Chekhov Comedy Shorts, a season of brand new plays starring the cream of British comedic talent, the world’s first opera in 3D and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Sky Arts also seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life. The flagship show, The Book Show, now goes to four literary festivals including Hay and Cheltenham. Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK. The Series will seek to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works; Sky Arts Ignition Series: Futures Fund will support five young artists with a bursary of £30,000 each, enabling Sky Arts to back the creation of new works of art as well as nurture emerging talent. Sky Arts also encourages new formats and methods for accessing opera; beaming the world’s first live opera in 3D to cinemas across the UK and Ireland from ENO.

Follow us on twitter @skyarts. See sky.com/arts

ABOUT ENDEMOL UK

Endemol UK annually produces over 2,000 hours of output in multiple genres including entertainment, drama,comedy,factual,features,documentaries and children’s programming.

The company incorporates a number of production brands including Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP), Initial, Remarkable Television, Tiger Aspect, Tigress and Zeppotron.

Credits include: The Million Pound Drop (Channel 4); Big Brother (Channel 5); Pointless (BBC One); Would I Lie to You? (BBC One); Soccer Aid (ITV1); Roar (CBBC); The Bank Job (Channel 4); Black Mirror (Channel 4); Deal or No Deal (Channel 4); Benidorm (ITV1); Secret Diary of a Call Girl (ITV1, ITV2); Grandma’s House (BBC Two); 8 Out of 10 Cats(Channel 4); I Can Cook (Cbeebies); Gok’s Clothes Roadshow (Channel 4); The Restoration Man (Channel 4); Brick by Brick: Rebuilding Our Past (BBC 2); Falkland’s Most Daring Raid (Channel 4); Stephen Hawking’s Universe (Discovery) and Supersize vs. Superskinny (Channel 4).

Endemol UK is a market leader in digital media and multiplatform entertainment and also incorporates Endemol Games - a dedicated unit specialising in online gaming.

Endemol UK is part of Endemol – the world’s largest independent production company with an international network of companies that spans 31 countries.