Latest news with #AlanYentob
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Alan Yentob's last interview to be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer
Alan Yentob's last interview, When Alan Yentob Met Jenny Saville, will be broadcast on Sunday 8 June on BBC Two and iPlayer. Jenny Saville is one of the most successful figurative painters working today, first coming to prominence as part of the YBA movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She has been reluctant to discuss her work for many years on television, until now. Alan Yentob was working with Jenny on a film for his imagine strand and earlier this year, they met in Vienna on the eve of two major exhibitions she is mounting. This was the last interview Alan Yentob conducted in a career spanning six decades at the BBC, bringing many of the world's leading artists and creatives to the screen. Alan also persuaded Jenny to allow cameras into her painting studio for the first time in almost three decades. Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV says: 'Alan Yentob was a titan of arts broadcasting and a passionate supporter of so many of the leading creative artists of the last half century. His final interview, in conversation with Jenny Saville, is testament to his relentless curiosity and advocacy for the arts across many decades - part of a night dedicated to celebrating his work as a programme maker, channel controller and visionary television executive.' Jenny Saville says: 'Alan and I were beginning to work on a documentary about my paintings from across the years. It was an honour to know Alan, who I'd met in my early twenties and we reconnected to make this film.' When Alan Yentob Met Jenny Saville airs as part of a tribute night on Sunday on BBC Two and iPlayer alongside some of the legendary programme maker's best loved films, including imagine… Mel Brooks: Unwrapped, imagine… David Bowie: Cracked Actor, Salman Rushdie: Through a Glass Darkly, imagine… Diana Athill: Growing Old Disgracefully, imagine… Tom Stoppard: A Charmed Life, and Ella Fitzgerald at Ronnie Scott's, as well as Alan's iconic BBC Two idents, from 9.15pm. When Alan Yentob met Jenny Saville is a BBC Studios production for BBC Arts. The Producer / Director is John O'Rourke and the Executive Producer is Tanya Hudson. The commissioning editor for BBC Arts is Mark Bell. Watch When Alan Yentob met Jenny Saville on BBC iPlayer AM2
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From the archive: Alan Yentob: the last impresario
We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2016: For decades, Alan Yentob was the dominant creative force at the BBC – behind everything from Adam Curtis to Strictly Come Dancing. He was a towering figure in British culture – so why did many applaud his very public slide from power? Written and read by Sam Knight
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Letter: Alan Yentob obituary
Alan Yentob did another great service to the BBC and to British culture by giving the final imprimatur to the siting of Martin Jennings's statue of George Orwell, promoted by my late husband, Ben Whitaker, outside the BBC HQ, and by choosing the best quotation to be inscribed beside it: 'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.'
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Weekly quiz: How did this ship end up in a Norwegian garden?
This week saw Elon Musk part ways with the White House, Gary Lineker present his final Match of the Day, and the world of television pay tribute to former BBC presenter and executive Alan how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world?Quiz collated by Ben Fell. Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Sir Tom Jones hails 'wonderful man' in tribute after beloved BBC star dies
The TV icon's family shared the sad news on Sunday that Alan had died at the age of 78 with a heartfelt statement. Sir Tom Jones has paid tribute to Alan Yentob after the legendary BBC executive and television presenter died over the weekend. The TV icon's family shared the sad news on Sunday that Alan had died at the age of 78 with a heartfelt statement. Sir Tom, 84, turned to social media to pay tribute to the "talented and knowledgeable" Alan. Posting to Instagram, the 'Delilah' singer wrote: "The very sad loss of Alan Yentob is immeasurable. What a talented, knowledgeable, instinctive and wonderful man. He opened unexpected doors for me for which I am forever grateful. A true rarity in the creative world, the likes of which will not be seen again." He concluded with the words: "Rest in peace Alan, you will be missed, Tom Jones". As reported by the Express, Tom made an appearance on Alan's prominent BBC Two programme 'Imagine', where, in a sincere exchange in 2010, the interviewer delved into the crooner's life story. Tom spoke about his rise from his modest roots as a miner's son in South Wales to his emergence as an international singing sensation and a symbol of virility. During his illustrious career, Alan depicted and chatted with a plethora of significant figures in culture and creativity for television series including 'Omnibus', 'Arena', and 'Imagine', featuring personalities such as David Bowie, Charles Saatchi, Maya Angelou, and Grayson Perry. His roles extended to being in charge of both BBC One and Two - and he also fulfilled duties as the corporation's creative director and head of music and arts. Alan's bereaved spouse, Philippa Walker, announced his passing, revealing: "For Jacob, Bella and I, every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, and he was exciting. "He was curious, funny, annoying, late, and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide." Dawn French also paid tribute to her former BBC colleague Alan, writing: "We've lost a tip top chap. Our advocate from the start... Alan Yentob." Alan's wife Philippa said in a statement at the weekend: "For [our children ] Jacob, Bella and I every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting. He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide."
