Main content

Gillian Anderson, South Georgia artist commission, the role of literary prizes

Gillian Anderson on portraying Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of The Crown.

Gillian Anderson on her technique for perfecting Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 distinctive voice in the fourth season of The Crown, and the recent debate the TV series has ignited over what is fact and fiction.

South Georgia is a remote, windswept and icy Antarctic island, with no permanent population. But much of the industrial whaling industry was based here until the 1960s, when there were scarcely any whales left to slaughter. Now, though, whales are returning. Rats and mice that came with the whaling ships and ate chicks in their nests and burrows have been eradicated, and the seabirds are flourishing. To mark this history and celebrate the change there's been a competition to create an artwork on the site of the Grytviken whaling station. We speak to the Scottish sculptor Michael Visocchi about his inspiration and plans.

We鈥檒l soon know who has been awarded the 2020 Booker Prize. Novelist Sara Collins, whose debut The Confessions of Frannie Langton won the 2019 Costa First Novel Award, Ellah Wakatama, Editor at Large at Canongate, and literary critic John Self discuss the role of literary prizes with the 麻豆官网首页入口鈥檚 Elle Osili-Wood on the eve of one of the biggest highlights of the literary calendar.

Producer: Julian May
Presenter: Kirsty Lang

Main image: Gillian Anderson as Margaret thatcher in The Crown
Image credit: Des Willie/Netflix

Available now

28 minutes

The Crown

The Crown
Season 4 of The Crown is available now on Netflix.聽 聽Imaged: Main image: Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher PM.Image to the left: Olivia Colman as the Queen (centre) and Mrs Thatcher聽Images credit: Des Willie/Netflix

South Georgia art competition

South Georgia art competition
聽is the winner of the 's art competition. Image: Grytviken Whaling Station on South Georgia.聽 Image credit: George Lemann
Watch a video about

The Booker Prize

The Booker Prize
winner聽 is revealed live on Front Row tomorrow (19 November 2020).
Image: the shortlisted authors:聽 聽聽Top row from Left: Diane Cook, Avni Doshi, Tsitsi Dangarembga聽聽Bottom row from Left: Maaza Mengiste, Douglas Stuart, Brandon Taylor.聽 Image credit: the Booker Prize

Broadcast

  • Wed 18 Nov 2020 19:15

麻豆官网首页入口 Arts Digital

The best of British culture live and on demand.

Inspire

Inspire

A season discovering where artists find inspiration and helping listeners get creative.

Podcast