A two hour trip along one of Britain’s canals and a 30 minute show observing the manufacture of a wooden chair are to form part of a slow season of shows on BBC4.
The broadcaster is preparing a BBC4 Goes Slow season, inspired by the Norwegian concept Slow TV, in which it will offer audiences the opportunity to view deliberately unhurried programmes.
The 3 x 30-minute series Make will examine the creation of simple objects including a chair and classic steel knife. The in-house series has been filmed and edited to highlight the creative process in great detail and will not feature a voice over or any sound effects.
The series was ordered by commissioning editor for documentaries Clare Sillery.
It will be supported by two feature-length docs.
The Canal is a 120-minute uninterrupted tour along one of the UK’s waterways in which viewers will be able to absorb the sights and sounds of the countryside with an array of interesting facts presented via a series of captions. The Garden Productions’ Emma Tutty and the BBC’s Clare Paterson will exec produce.
Finally National Gallery (working title) is a 180-minute film, directed by Frederick Wiseman, which will go behind the scenes at the museum. The film, which also features no voice over or score, will reveal daily life at the central London institution including board meetings, workshops and the gallery floor.
At a Broadcast Business Breakfast briefing in June head of documentary commissioning Emma Willis revealed she had been fascinated by the success of Scandinavian “slow TV”.
“They did a 24-hour knitting thing, and they put cameras on a boat, to just sail around a fjord for a couple of hours with no commentary. There’s something in that,” she said.
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