Mary Beard to present revamped Front Row as a live post-Newsnight show
The BBC has revamped arts show Front Row as a live show in the old Friday night Late Review slot with Mary Beard as host.
The historian, who presented one episode of the first run of the TV transfer of Radio 4’s long-running series, will front the next 6 x 30-minute slot, due for a spring tx.
The series, to air post-Newsnight at 11pm on Fridays, will feature Beard discussing the big ideas behind the week’s artistic developments.
Previous hosts Giles Coren, BBC media editor Amol Rajan and The Arts Hour’s Nikki Bedi will not be returning.
The first 8 x 30-minute series aired at 7.30pm on Saturdays last autumn, averaging a consolidated audience of 287,000 (1.2%).
Tanya Hudson is executive producing the series, which will be shot at Pacific Quay, with radio editor Alice Feinstein also operating as editor for the TV outing.
The series was commissioned by BBC2 controller Patrick Holland and BBC director of arts Jonty Claypole.
“Mary Beard is one of the most thought-provoking intellectuals in the UK and a defining voice for BBC2,” said Holland. “I am delighted that she’s agreed to take the lead with this evolution of Front Row.”
Beard, who presented last night’s BBC1 doc Julius Caesar Revealed, is one of the presenters of BBC2’s upcoming Civilisations series with historians David Olusoga and Simon Schama.
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