BBC Arts has announced that Ian McKellen is set to portray Greater Manchester artist L.S. Lowry in the forthcoming Arena documentary, L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes. Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death, the immersive film sees the renowned actor lip-sync newly discovered, previously unheard audio recordings, giving audiences unprecedented access to Lowry’s thoughts during the final four years of his life, as he reflects on Manchester’s industrial heyday.
L.S Lowry: The Unheard Tapes is one of three special new films commissioned to celebrate Arena, BBC’s long-running arts strand, turning 50. The documentary will focus on the touching and often surprising exchanges between the enigmatic artist and Angela Barratt, a young fan whose interviews capture Lowry in his most intimate and reflective moments.
L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes: sharing the memories and experiences that shaped both the artist and the man
Recorded in the artist’s own living room, the tapes reveal Lowry’s authentic voice, which Ian McKellen will lip-sync on screen. Speaking about the role, Ian McKellen said, “To give play to Lowry through his own voice has been a unique privilege. These tapes reveal an intimate insight into the artist’s thoughts – his ambitions, regrets and his humour. Anyone like me, who admires his paintings and drawings, will be intrigued and delighted that the artist is brought back to life through his own words.”
Across these candid conversations, Lowry traces his journey from childhood through to his final days, sharing the memories and experiences that shaped both the artist and the man. Alongside this deeply personal account, L.S Lowry: The Unheard Tapes will also explore the dramatic transformation of Salford and Greater Manchester, the region Lowry depicted so prolifically and whose shifting industrial landscape profoundly influenced his work.
The role of Angela will be played by Annabel Smith, who is currently appearing at The Royal Court Theatre in The Shitheads. Her past credits include The Vanishing Room (New Diorama) and Upstart Crow (Apollo Theatre).
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“This film comes at a very special moment”
Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor, BBC Arts, said: “Marking 50 years since Lowry’s death, and celebrating Arena’s own 50-year tradition of ambitious, intelligent storytelling, this film comes at a very special moment. The inspired casting of Ian McKellen and Annabel Smith – an echo of the age and energy between Lowry and Angela – feels like life imitating art in the best possible way. But this film isn’t just about the life of the artist, it also provides an insight into the realities of urban life in Greater Manchester in the 20th century.”
Michael Simpson, Director of Visual Arts at The Lowry, said: “These long unheard interviews reveal an artist of wit, contradiction and perhaps surprising depth, far removed from the myth of the ‘simple man’. Recorded in the 1970s, they capture Lowry at the end of his life and Salford at a pivotal moment of change. That these tapes are now held at the Lowry, alongside the Collection, feels profoundly fitting, connecting the artist’s own words to the cultural legacy that now bears his name.”
“The involvement of Ian McKellen completes what might be considered a dream team.”
Richard Grossick, on behalf of the Lowry Estate, said: “The estate is delighted that 50 years on from the death of L.S.Lowry the BBC has chosen to commission L.S.Lowry: The Unheard Tapes as part of Arena’s birthday celebrations. It is good fortune that these compelling recordings of interviews conducted by the young Angela Barratt have survived and are being used in this way.
“Wall to Wall have brought together a remarkable team of creatives to meticulously shape the programme, it has been a great pleasure collaborating with them. The involvement of Ian McKellen completes what might be considered a dream team. As an admirer and champion of the artist’s work it is hard to imagine any other actor better equipped to channel the rhythmical allure of Mr Lowry’s distinctive bygone Lancastrian tones.”
L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes is produced by award-winning Wall to Wall Media and commissioned for BBC Arts, which will be shown on both BBC Two and iPlayer. Further broadcast details will be revealed in due course.