• Air date: 08 Jan '88 11 episodes
      Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. Voted by leading TV executives in Broadcast as one of the top 50 most influential programmes of all time, it has run since 1 October 1975 with over five hundred episodes made, directed by the likes of Martin Scorsese, Alan Yentob, Roly Keating, Frederick Baker, Volker Schlondorff and Vikram Jayanti. Arena's subjects are a roll-call of the world's best known cultural figures from the 20th and 21st centuries, from singers Bob Dylan and Amy Winehouse to academics Edward Said and Eric Hobsbawm, from writers Jean Genet and V S Naipaul to artists Francis Bacon and Louise Bourgeois. The current series editor is Anthony Wall.
  • List of Episodes (11)
    • 1. Woody Guthrie

      08 Jan '88
      Woody Guthrie was born into a family made rich by the Oklahoma oil boom. But by the time he was eight years old, his mother was in an insane asylum and his father had lost every penny. His personal life was a catalogue of tragedy and disease, yet he had a vision that inspired two generations of Americans. The dustiest of the Dust Bowlers, Guthrie made his own life into a myth. He appointed himself spokesman for the poor and oppressed and through his songs turned their life into his own. This c
    • 3. The Dandy-Beano Story

      15 Jan '88
      50th anniversary tribute to the Beano and Dandy comics. (Synopsis from BFI Film & TV Database)
    • 5. The Emperor

      05 Feb '88
      Performance of Jonathan Miller's production for the Royal Court Theatre, of Ryszard Kapuscinski's "The Emperor", adapted for the stage and television by Michael Hastings and Jonathan Miller. Drama about the last days of Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia before his final overthrow.
    • 7. An Andalucian Journey

      04 Mar '88
      A journey through southern Spain to meet the Andalucian gypsy families who keep alive the traditions of flamenco.
    • 8. Robert Mapplethorpe

      18 Mar '88
      Profile of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, to accompany the exhibition of his work at the National Portrait Gallery.
    • 9. The English Thoroughbred

      25 Mar '88
      Documentary on the thoroughbred horse. Horses include Oh So Sharp, Dancing Brave, Adjal and Reference Point.
    • 10. Byrne About Byrne

      01 Apr '88
      John Byrne, author of TUTTI FRUTTI, writes and directs his own film autobiography.
    • 11. Ten Green Bottles

      25 Nov '88
      Tenth anniversary edition of the programme, featuring clips from some of the pro grammes of the last ten years.
    • 12. Clint Eastwood

      02 Dec '88
      Interview with Clint Eastwood about his career, his work as a director and the evolution of the Eastwood persona.
    • 13. Moving Across The World On Horses

      09 Dec '88
      Documentary about the work of Michael Ondaatje, including a dramatisation of his ideas.
    • 14. History Boys On The Rampage

      16 Dec '88
      Report about the Field Day Theatre Company's production of Making History on tour in Northern Ireland.