{"id":24429,"date":"2026-01-15T13:26:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T18:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/ian-mckellen-to-feature-in-l-s-lowry-documentary\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T13:30:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T18:30:59","slug":"ian-mckellen-to-feature-in-l-s-lowry-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/ian-mckellen-to-feature-in-l-s-lowry-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian McKellen to Feature in L.S. Lowry Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ian McKellen is on board to portray English artist L.S. Lowry in the BBC Arts Arena documentary <em>L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Marking 50 years since Lowry\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Annabel Smith (<em>The Shitheads<\/em>, <em>The Vanishing Room<\/em>) will play the role of Angela.<\/p>\n<p><em>L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes <\/em>is being produced by Wall to Wall Media. It will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo give play to Lowry through his own voice has been a unique privilege,\u201d McKellen said. \u201cThese tapes reveal an intimate insight into the artist\u2019s thoughts\u2014his 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarking 50 years since Lowry\u2019s death and celebrating Arena\u2019s own 50-year tradition of ambitious, intelligent storytelling, this film comes at a very special moment,\u201d commented Mark Bell, commissioning editor for BBC Arts. \u201cThe inspired casting of Ian McKellen and Annabel Smith\u2014an echo of the age and energy between Lowry and Angela\u2014feels like life imitating art in the best possible way. But this film isn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese long, unheard interviews reveal an artist of wit, contradiction and perhaps surprising depth, far removed from the myth of the \u2018simple man,\u2019\u201d added Michael Simpson, director of visual arts at The Lowry. \u201cRecorded 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\u2019s own words to the cultural legacy that now bears his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard Grossick, on behalf of the Lowry Estate, said, \u201cThe estate is delighted that 50 years on from the death of L.S. Lowry, the BBC has chosen to commission<em> L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes<\/em> as part of Arena\u2019s 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\u2019s work, it is hard to imagine any other actor better equipped to channel the rhythmical allure of Mr. Lowry\u2019s distinctive bygone Lancastrian tones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo have the opportunity to work with these very special unheard recordings to create an immersive exploration of Lowry\u2019s life is a great privilege,\u201d added Morgana Pugh, head of Wall to Wall West. \u201cThis 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\u2019s words and voices, we\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ian McKellen is on board to portray English artist L.S. Lowry in the BBC Arts Arena documentary L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":24430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[4866,12104,12105,12106,12107,12108,12109,12110,6005],"class_list":["post-24429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-top-stories","tag-bbc-arts","tag-ian-mckellen","tag-l-s-lowry","tag-l-s-lowry-the-unheard-tapes","tag-mark-bell","tag-michael-simpson","tag-morgana-pugh","tag-richard-grossick","tag-wall-to-wall-media","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ian McKellen to Feature in L.S. 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