UK artists capture cultural icons, including Louis Theroux, Vanessa Williams, Rylan Clark, Michelle de Swarte and Sheridan Smith

Brushes in hand and easels at the ready! Sky Arts and streaming service NOW welcomes the eagerly awaited return of Portrait Artist of the Year to our screens on 7 October. The thirteenth series is set to deliver another thrilling celebration of creativity, passion and artistic talent as artists from across the UK compete for the prestigious 2026 title. An exciting new panel of judges ushers in a bold new era for the much-loved series with portrait artist Jonathan Yeo, Director of EMEA, Frieze, Eva Langret and art historian Katy Hessel all joining returning host Stephen Mangan.

This year’s star-studded line up of portrait sitters brings together a mix of familiar faces from the worlds of entertainment, arts, broadcasting and beyond. Taking their place in the portrait spotlight are theatre director Jamie Lloyd, musician Alison Balsom and Opera Singer Danielle de Niese, alongside actors Vanessa Williams, Joanna Scanlan, Dexter Fletcher, Sheridan Smith, Arti Shah and Lennie James. From TV and broadcasting come Rylan Clark, Louis Theroux, Yalda Hakim and Grace Dent, joined by comedy favourites Grace Campbell, Munya Chawawa and Michelle de Swarte. The line-up also features Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden and restaurateur Jeremy King, financier and broadcaster Anthony Scaramucci, poetand playwright Nikita Gill, author Jung Chang, artist and musician Kojey Radical, drag superstar Danny Beard and athlete Matt Weston.

Bridgerton stars Daniel Francis and Ruth Gemmell take their place in the portrait spotlight for the semi-final, while culinary pioneer Heston Blumenthal sits for the hotly anticipated final.

This season, Portrait Artist of the Year unveils an all-new judging panel. Widely regarded as one of the foremost portrait painters of his generation, Jonathan Yeo is celebrated for his powerful, psychologically charged portraits of some of the world’s most recognisable figures from King Charles III to David Attenborough. Viewers will be familiar with Eva Langret, who joined Landscape Artist of the Year last year. Eva is a dynamic and significant figure in the contemporary art world and Director of EMEA, Frieze. Finally, Art historian, curator and broadcaster Katy Hessel, who is one of the most influential voices shaping conversations around art today. Founder of the widely celebrated platform The Great Women Artists, Katy has become synonymous with championing overlooked and underrepresented artists and reshaping the canon.

Phil Edgar-Jones OBE, Executive Director, Unscripted at Sky UK said: “Portrait Artist of the Year continues to surprise and inspire us with the extraordinary range of talent on show, and we’re delighted to introduce our new panel of expert judges to put the artists through their paces. With another brilliant mix of sitters on the way, we can’t wait to put artists and their creativity centre stage as we celebrate the very best of the UK’s vibrant arts community.”

The winner of this year’s series will paint legendary British actor and musician Damian Lewis for the National Portrait Gallery.

Portrait Artist of the Year (12x60’) is produced by Storyvault Films. Executive Producers are Danielle Graham and Samantha Richards. The series is commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director, Unscripted for Sky, for Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer, Sky. The Commissioning Editor for Sky is Benedetta Pinelli.

For more information on Portrait Artist of the Year :

PAOTY@premiercomms.com