Ian McKellen to Feature in L.S. Lowry Documentary

Ian McKellen is on board to portray English artist L.S. Lowry in the BBC Arts Arena documentary L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes.

Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death, the film will portray the exchange between the artist and Angela Barratt, a young fan whose interviews capture him at his most reflective moments. The tapes of the candid conversations, in which Lowry traces his journey from childhood to his final days, will play while McKellen lip-syncs on-screen.

Annabel Smith (The Shitheads, The Vanishing Room) will play the role of Angela.

L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes is being produced by Wall to Wall Media. It will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

“To give play to Lowry through his own voice has been a unique privilege,” McKellen said. “These tapes reveal an intimate insight into the artist’s thoughts—his ambitions, regrets and his humor. Anyone like me, who admires his paintings and drawings, will be intrigued and delighted that the artist is brought back to life through his own words.”

“Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death and celebrating Arena’s own 50-year tradition of ambitious, intelligent storytelling, this film comes at a very special moment,” commented Mark Bell, commissioning editor for BBC Arts. “The inspired casting of Ian McKellen and Annabel Smith—an echo of the age and energy between Lowry and Angela—feels like life imitating art in the best possible way. But this film isn’t just about the life of the artist; it also provides an insight into the realities of urban life in Greater Manchester in the 20th century.”

“These long, unheard interviews reveal an artist of wit, contradiction and perhaps surprising depth, far removed from the myth of the ‘simple man,’” added Michael Simpson, director of visual arts at The Lowry. “Recorded in the 1970s, they capture Lowry at the end of his life and Salford at a pivotal moment of change. That these tapes are now held at the Lowry, alongside the Collection, feels profoundly fitting, connecting the artist’s own words to the cultural legacy that now bears his name.”

Richard Grossick, on behalf of the Lowry Estate, said, “The estate is delighted that 50 years on from the death of L.S. Lowry, the BBC has chosen to commission L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes as part of Arena’s birthday celebrations. It is a good fortune that these compelling recordings of interviews conducted by the young Angela Barratt have survived and are being used in this way. Wall to Wall have brought together a remarkable team of creatives to meticulously shape the program. It has been a great pleasure collaborating with them. The involvement of Ian McKellen completes what might be considered a dream team. As an admirer and champion of the artist’s work, it is hard to imagine any other actor better equipped to channel the rhythmical allure of Mr. Lowry’s distinctive bygone Lancastrian tones.”

“To have the opportunity to work with these very special unheard recordings to create an immersive exploration of Lowry’s life is a great privilege,” added Morgana Pugh, head of Wall to Wall West. “This is the last and longest interview L.S. Lowry ever gave, captured at the very end of his life. The tapes reveal the artist and the man anew, as he reflects back across his lifetime from the comfort of his own home. As Ian and Annabel lip-sync Lowry and Angela’s words and voices, we’ll be transported back in time, to explore how his experiences and view of a changing world shaped the rich legacy of work he left behind.”