Extraordinary Portraits

Clare was only 25 years old when she was first diagnosed with cancer. Following surgery it looked like she was in the clear, but four years later a routine checkup showed the cancer was back, and this time it was incurable. As she turned 30, Clare set up her own charity, with the aim of offering the sort of support and community to young cancer patients that she desperately sought when she was first diagnosed.

Attempting to capture this remarkable woman on canvas is Oriane Pierrepoint, a realist painter and charcoal artist based in south Wales. The pressure is high, as Oriane knows this portrait will serve as a lasting legacy to Clare's determination and achievements.

Comedian and art lover Bill Bailey matches a life-saving railway worker with a celebrated artist to create a well-deserved portrait.

East Londoner Rizwan stopped someone trying to take their own life in his first week of working for London Underground. In eight years, Rizwan has stopped another 28 people from coming to harm. His training teaches him how to spot vulnerable people, but his gift is how he relates to them individually. Attempting to capture this remarkable man in a portrait is multimedia artist Jack Dickson, who describes himself as an ‘artistic magpie'. He collects clues about his subjects' lives and then builds them into multilayered visual artworks.

What will Rizwan and his family think of the finished result?

Comedian and art-lover Bill Bailey tasks former goalkeeper and painter David James to create a portrait of ex-footballer Gill, who competed for England in the unofficial 1971 Women's World Cup.

Gill was just 14 years old when she was picked to represent England at Copa 71 in Mexico. But when the tournament was over, she and her teammates were hit with a ban by the Football Association, which had forbidden women from playing on professional pitches. Many of her teammates never played again, but Gill went on to be a founding member of Arsenal Women and inspire a whole new generation.

To capture Gill, Bill has chosen a fellow footballer; former England goalkeeper turned painter David James, an artist who has donated his work to charities and created paintings to support some of his favourite causes.

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.

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?

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?