The Culture Show: Season 16
Season 16 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of The Culture Show Season 15.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 16 Progress Shield
Episode 1
May 19, 2011
Coming from the 60th anniversary celebrations for the Festival of Britain where Nancy Durrant talks to Tracey Emin about her new show at the Hayward. Also, Andrew Graham-Dixon trav
Episode 2: The Sounds of Hugh Laurie: A Culture Show Special
May 25, 2011
Hugh Laurie was best known for playing bumbling British toffs until he reinvented his onscreen persona in the role of House MD, and became the highest paid actor in the world. One
Episode 3
May 26, 2011
Fronted by Andrew Graham-Dixon, this week's Culture Show comes from the recently revamped Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and ranges from sci-fi to psychopaths, w
Episode 4
Jun 2, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon presents The Culture Show featuring David Attenborough on British painter John Craxton; actor turned director Philip Seymour Hoffman on his new film Jack Goes B
Episode 5
Jul 13, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon presents from the 2011 Manchester International Festival featuring new plays by Victoria Wood and Johnny Vegas, music from Bjork and Damon Albarn, and performan
Episode 6: The Culture Show at the Edinburgh Festival - Part 1
Aug 11, 2011
Sue Perkins presents the first of three programmes featuring highlights from 2011's Edinburgh Festival. Marc Almond tells us about his acting role in a new musical play, Ten Plague
Episode 7: The Culture Show at the Edinburgh Festival - Part 2
Aug 18, 2011
Sue Perkins presents the second of three programmes featuring highlights from 2011's Edinburgh Festival. Clemency Burton-Hill takes a look at multi-media theatre production, The W
Episode 8: The Culture Show at the Edinburgh Festival - Part 3
Aug 25, 2011
Sue Perkins presents the final Culture Show from Edinburgh with all the highlights from this year's Festival, including an exhibition of portraits of the Queen, featuring artists s
Episode 9: Hilary Mantel: A Culture Show Special
Sep 17, 2011
Hilary Mantel is one of Britain's most arresting and original writers. In this intimate and exclusive profile, the Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall talks about her childhoo
Episode 10
Sep 30, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon visits the new Firstsite Gallery in Colchester, Mark Kermode talks to Lars Von Trier about his new film Melancholia and Alastair Sooke meets American artist Fra
Episode 11
Oct 7, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon talks to ceramicist Grayson Perry, Simon Armitage marks National Poetry Day, Mark Kermode meets director Lynne Ramsay to discuss her latest film We Need to Talk
Episode 12
Oct 14, 2011
This week The Culture Show comes from Frieze Art Fair with Andrew Graham-Dixon and Alastair Sooke. Artist Ryan Gander talks to Christian Jankowski about his Frieze project - a lux
Episode 13
Oct 21, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon presents the weekly arts magazine show, featuring a look at the extraordinary art of Edward Burra; an interview with Sofie Grabol, star of cult Danish detective
Episode 14: Britain's Biggest Book Prize: A Village Decides (Again)
Oct 18, 2011
For tonight's half-hour Culture Show Special on the Man Booker Prize 2011, Tim Samuels visits the Scottish village of Comrie and asks the locals for their verdict on this year's Bo
Episode 15
Oct 28, 2011
The Culture Show comes from the Gothic mansion Two Temple Place as it opens its door for the first time. Andrew Graham-Dixon looks at King George V's photographic collection of Sc
Keith Richards: A Culture Show Special
Oct 28, 2010
To mark the publication of Keith Richards' autobiography, Life, this Culture Show special looks at the life of the man with five strings and nine lives. In a candid interview he ch
Episode 17: Sir Terence Conran on Culture
Nov 5, 2011
In tribute to the late British designer Sir Terence Conran, a repeat of a programme first shown in 2011. Alan Yentob talks to his hero Sir Terence Conran, perhaps one of Britain’s
Episode 18: Art for Heroes: A Culture Show Special
Nov 11, 2011
An examination of the role of art therapy in the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Tim Samuels meets veterans of recent British confli
Episode 19: Best of the Year
Dec 16, 2011
Andrew Graham-Dixon looks back at the cultural the highlights of the year. Sir David Attenborough celebrates neglected artist John Craxton. Alan Yentob interviews Gerhard Richter
Episode 20
Feb 10, 2012
Andrew Graham-Dixon visits the new Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Mark Kermode talks movies with author Geoff Dyer whose new book is based on the Russian
Episode 21
Feb 27, 2012
Andrew Marr interviews David Hockney, widely considered to be Britain's best-loved living artist, about his exhibition A Bigger Picture at the Royal Academy, made up of works depic
Episode 22
Feb 18, 2012
Andrew Graham-Dixon presents the latest edition of The Culture Show from Glasgow, featuring the National Theatre of Scotland's new adaptation of The Wicker Man. As a major new Pic
Episode 23: Jeremy Deller: Middle Class Hero - A Culture Show Special
Feb 24, 2012
Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller is one of the most unconventional of contemporary artists. He is best known for his collaborative projects with everyone from striking miners to M
Episode 24
Mar 2, 2012
Andrew Graham-Dixon tells us what intrigues him about flamboyant Victorian architect and designer Augustus Pugin who celebrates his 200th anniversary this year; Mark Kermode celebr
Episode 25: London
Mar 9, 2012
Andrew Graham-Dixon goes on a date with Florence Welch to discuss the influence of Renaissance art on her music. Alastair Sooke meets art duo Gilbert and George, while Mark Kermod
Episode 26: London
Mar 10, 2012
Alastair Sooke travels to Derbyshire to meet sculptor Anthony Caro as he prepares for a retrospective at Chatsworth House. Art critic Richard Cork meets Sarah Rose, an avid collec
Episode 27: How to Paint a Queen: A Culture Show Special
Jun 2, 2012
There are more images of Elizabeth II than any other historical figure, but how to paint a queen is one of the trickiest of artistic challenges. Alastair Sooke looks at the depicti
Episode 28: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Culture Show Special
Jun 15, 2012
Alastair Sooke goes behind-the-scenes of the Royal Academy's 244th Summer Exhibition, the biggest open-submission contemporary art show in the world. He selects artists he hopes wi