Station:
BBC One (GB)
Status:
Running
Start:
2022-02-27
Rating:
0/10 from 0 users
Where skills meet stories. Artists create breathtaking portraits of people with incredible personal and powerful stories - creating a picture of modern Britain.
There is no Next Episode of Extraordinary Portraits planned.
S4E4 - Christian and Hywel
Comedian and art lover Bill Bailey matches former soldier and fundraiser Christian with a sculptor to create a lasting legacy.
When ex-paratrooper Christian struggled to fit back into civilian life, he spiralled into a cycle of depression and debt. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Christian left home with just £10 in his pocket and two days' worth of rations. His goal was to walk the entire coastline of the UK, and he returned six years, and 19,000 miles, later with a partner, a child and having raised half a million pounds for a charity helping ex-servicemen.
Taking on the massive challenge of capturing this remarkable man is Hywel Pratley, an acclaimed sculptor with a royal pedigree, who works in both clay and bronze.
Air Date: 28 Feb 2025 13:30 (CDT)
S4E5 - Marva, Lionel and Chloe
Comedian and art lover Bill Bailey matches foster carers Marva and Lionel with a young artist to create a stunning portrait of the deserving couple.
Marva and Lionel decided to make a difference by becoming foster parents to teenagers looking for a loving home. Thirty years later, they have fostered almost 200 young people in need.
The task to capture Marva and Lionel on canvas falls to Manchester-based artist Chloe Cox. The self-taught painter has had a meteoric rise and has already been commissioned by HM the King and the Windrush Commemoration Committee. Now, she is on a mission to make the people we see on gallery walls more representative of society. What will Marva and Lionel make of the finished work?
Air Date: 07 Mar 2025 13:30 (CDT)
S4E6 - Millie & Karen
Comedian and art-lover Bill Bailey matches 20-year-old Millie; a campaigner challenging the stereotypes around Down's Syndrome, with Karen Turner; an award-winning, self-taught painter.
Twenty-year-old Millie is a drama student and social media influencer who is campaigning for equality around pregnancies involving foetuses with Down's Syndrome.
When Millie discovered that a healthy foetus with Down's Syndrome could be terminated right up until birth she took the issue to government, demanding a change in the law.
To capture Millie; Bill has chosen Karen Turner, an award-winning, self-taught painter who celebrates people in society who aren't always represented on canvas.
But how will she reflect this charismatic young campaigner?
Air Date: 14 Mar 2025 14:30 (CDT)