London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has teamed up with the BBC to produce what has been described as the “most ambitious exploration of decorative arts ever to be undertaken on British television”.
Drawing on key objects in the V&A’s collection, the BBC Four initiative, Handmade in Britain, comprises three three-part series and a range of hour-long films.
The partnership begins this autumn with a series on ceramics and two one-hour programmes on stained glass and Chinese porcelain, with the latter episode throwing new light on the development of the UK ceramics industry in the 18th century.
Contributors will include a selection of V&A curators, ceramic artists Grayson Perry and Edmund de Waal, and collectors such as David Attenborough.
Iain Millar, media correspondent for the Art Newspaper, said: “If Handmade in Britain can be as smart and successful as A History of the World in 100 Objects, the BBC’s high-profile collaboration with the British Museum, there will be little doubt as to the quality of the programmes.
“However, given that there is already speculation on the future of BBC Four, at least in its present format, one can only hope that this is a signal of intent from the BBC that the standard of the channel’s output will remain high and the content original.”
Special codes displayed at the V&A alongside objects featured in the series will allow visitors to access the Handmade in Britain website through their smartphones.
Drawing on key objects in the V&A’s collection, the BBC Four initiative, Handmade in Britain, comprises three three-part series and a range of hour-long films.
The partnership begins this autumn with a series on ceramics and two one-hour programmes on stained glass and Chinese porcelain, with the latter episode throwing new light on the development of the UK ceramics industry in the 18th century.
Contributors will include a selection of V&A curators, ceramic artists Grayson Perry and Edmund de Waal, and collectors such as David Attenborough.
Iain Millar, media correspondent for the Art Newspaper, said: “If Handmade in Britain can be as smart and successful as A History of the World in 100 Objects, the BBC’s high-profile collaboration with the British Museum, there will be little doubt as to the quality of the programmes.
“However, given that there is already speculation on the future of BBC Four, at least in its present format, one can only hope that this is a signal of intent from the BBC that the standard of the channel’s output will remain high and the content original.”
Special codes displayed at the V&A alongside objects featured in the series will allow visitors to access the Handmade in Britain website through their smartphones.
