In Confidence returns to Sky Arts
“The finest talk show on television continues” (The Sunday Times)
“The most in-depth chat show out there” (What Satellite & Digital TV)
“A stimulating hour of discussion” (Mail On Sunday)
“What a pleasure to be offered television so patient, intelligent and devoid of presentational bells and whistles” (Time Out)
Sky Arts invites some of today’s leading writers, artists, actors, and thinkers into the studio this summer for the return of In Confidence – their much loved and highly-acclaimed in-depth interviews that set out to discover what motivates and inspires ten of Britain’s most well-known personalities.
This series, the guests braving the rigorous questioning of Professor Laurie Taylor include: Brian Blessed, Fay Weldon, Terry Gilliam, Griff Rhys Jones, Lady Lucinda Lambton, Grayson Perry, Michael Frayn, Tony Benn, Anna Scher and Sir Alan Ayckbourn.
Sociologist Laurie Taylor attempts to delve beneath the public façade of his guests and encourages them to talk openly about their lives. His efforts reveal their moments of joy and tragedy, their mistakes and their successes, and the flaws and strengths that have defined their lives and careers.
The series began with Brian Blessed, the actor who has graced our screens and theatres for more than half a century, who discusses his need for solitude and recounts how he taught the actor Keanu Reeves the art of meditation. Fay Weldon, one of the most successful and controversial authors of her generation, discusses with candour her troubled childhood and how she banned her own family from reading her books and Grayson Perry discusses his conflicted views in his uneasy relationship with other artists and his own work to reconcile himself with his belief that, “Artists as a group are not special.”
“In Confidence is not another television interview programme. It does not engineer confrontations between political apparatchiks, relentlessly plug books or videos or films, or shamelessly seek to enhance the ego of its presenter. Instead it engages its guests in an extended conversation which like all good conversations generates unexpected beliefs, surprising admissions and genuine intimacies,” comments presenter Professor Laurie Taylor. “The people I choose to talk to not only start to forget themselves when they're locked into a developing conversation, they also, with a happy paradox, often start to find themselves. As a character in a Saul Bellow novel remarks: 'I never really know what I think until I see what I say’.”
“In Confidence is one of our best-loved and most enthralling series on Sky Arts,” adds James Hunt, Channel Director of Sky Arts. “It’s a testament to Laurie’s unique interview that he enables such candid discussion, beyond the public person of his guests. It’s the reason In Confidence triumphs and captivates our customers, who are eager for engaging, weightier and stimulating conversation.”
The return of In Confidence 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.
Series continues 9th July 8pm Sky Arts 1 & live and on demand on Sky Go (10 x 60 minutes)
9th July: Fay Weldon
16th July: Terry Gilliam
23rd July: Griff Rhys Jones
30th July: Lady Lucinda Lambton
6th August: Grayson Perry
13th August: Michael Frayn
20th August: Tony Benn
3rd September: Anna Scher
10th September: Sir Alan Ayckbourn
…In Confidence has been produced by Associated Rediffusion for Sky Arts
**Transcripts of the interviews and interview opportunities are available**
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
Editors Notes
Sky Arts
Sky Arts offers an eclectic mix of the best music, arts, biographies, chat shows, film, drama and comedy. 2012 will see Sky Arts turn the spotlight on the best amateur dramatics companies in the UK in BRITAIN’S BEST AM-DRAM, exclusive productions from The Globe Theatre and Simon Callow’s one man play as part of a SHAKESPEARE SEASON and Ronnie Wood’s new show for Sky Arts. Popular series such as THE ONION NEWS NETWORK and ROMANZO CRIMINALE will sit alongside the premieres of Israeli dramas BE TIPUL and PRISONERS OF WAR. 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.
Sky Arts 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. The Sky Arts Ignition Series launched in in 2011 to invest in the arts landscape of the UK, following long term partnerships with English National Opera, English National Ballet and Artichoke. 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.
See sky.com/arts
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