Rambert's PEAKY BLINDERS to be Broadcast as Part of BBC's Festive Line-Up

The BBC have revealed their festive line-up, including many theatrical treats. Among the announcements are Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty and The Hound of the Baskervilles, recorded on the stage of London’s Barbican Theatre.

Highlights include:

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby

Inspired by the TV series and specially filmed on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage, Rambert’s exhilarating performance of their hit stage show Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby comes to BBC Four this Christmas, with an iconic soundtrack.

Adapted for the stage by Steven Knight and choreographed and directed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, the performance includes the full company of Rambert dancers and marks ten years since the first episode of Peaky Blinders aired on the BBC.

Inside Classical: The Hound of the Baskervilles

BBC Four and BBC iPlayer

Mark Gatiss stars as Sherlock Holmes with Sanjeev Bhaskar as Dr Watson in this reading of Arthur Conan Doyle’s bestselling mystery, recorded on the stage of London’s Barbican Theatre. The gripping story is accompanied by a new musical score by dramatist and composer Neil Brand, played on stage by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Through music and drama, with no theatrical set or props, this play takes Holmes and Watson from the comfort of 222b Baker Street and audiences from the auditorium of the Barbican Hall in London to the moors of the Baskerville Hall estate in this chilling, gripping and hair-raising version of this legendary tale.

Mad About The Boy: The Noel Coward Story

BBC Two and BBC iPlayer

Born in a London suburb at the turn of the 20th century, Noel Coward would become the most celebrated actor, playwright and songwriter of his generation. This is his remarkable journey, told in his own words, music and extraordinary home movies, in a new film for Arena.

A maverick, pioneer and pathfinder, by the age of 30 he was the highest-paid writer in the world and a star on the Broadway stage, writing, directing and acting in some of the finest plays and movies of all time, including Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve.

Queer in a very straight world, Coward became one of the most successful artists of the 20th century, defining an era and leading an extraordinary life. He discovered John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and David Lean; was a spy in the Second World War and a world-renowned songwriter and performer, of whom Frank Sinatra said, “If you want to hear how a song should be sung, go see Mr Noel Coward.”

Narrated by Alan Cumming with Rupert Everett as the voice of Noel Coward and appearances from Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Harold Pinter, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. Adam Lambert sings the title track.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

BBC Two and BBC iPlayer

Enter a wondrous world of magical fairies and vampires, where the timeless tale of good versus evil is turned upside down, creating a supernatural love story that even the passage of time itself cannot hinder. Will Princess Aurora ever find her true love again?

Since its premier in 2012, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty has been enchanting audiences throughout the UK and across the globe.

With Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score played live by the New Adventures orchestra, Bourne’s masterful storytelling and sumptuous sets and costumes, get ready to be transported in time from the halcyon days of the late Edwardian era through to the modern day in this dazzling gothic romance.

Dawn French is a huge TW*T

BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Live (almost) from London’s iconic Palladium theatre, the nation’s favourite comedy star, Dawn French is about to reveal (almost) all the most excruciating gaffes and howlers she’s made across her forty-year career as a comedian and actress. Dawn likes a laugh, and she likes it best of all when the laugh is on her. Her new one-woman show is more than just stand-up. This is the ultimate, ‘Oh my god! You’ll never guess what Dawn did!’ show – as everyone’s favourite fictional lady vicar takes us through her career in comedy while simultaneously, laying bare her imperfections through massive landmarks of her life.

In addition, the musical Kanneh-Mason family will travel to Austria to explore the legacy of the Von Trapps in The Hills Are Alive With The Kanneh-Masons, while hit series Bad Education will present a musical-themed Christmas episode, starring Layton Williams, Charlie Wernham, Mathew Horne and Vicki Pepperdine.

Broadcast dates to be confirmed in due course.

Main Photo Credit: Conor Kerrigan, Guillaume Quéau and Joseph Kudra (Image: BBC/Rambert)

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