Quentin Blake: The Drawing of My Life

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2021

Arts and culture

Summary

The artist tells the story of his creative life in his own words and pictures. The programme features contributions from famous collaborators and admirers, including Michael Rosen, Lauren Child, Chris Riddell, Josie Long, David Walliams, Steven Appleby, Dapo Adeola and Emma Chichester Clark. Felicity Dahl also gives fresh insights into Quentin's famously fruitful collaboration with her husband, Roald. Plus, Joanna Lumley, Peter Capaldi and Ore Oduba read extracts from some of the 500 books Blake has illustrated

Review

Mark Braxton

The venerable writer/illustrator approaches a blank canvas, as he so often did on Jackanory back in the day… But this one is 30ft wide, and instead of sketching Agaton Saxes or Furious Flycycles, he’s depicting his career to date.

His accessible drawings in more than 500 books are instantly recognisable, but there’s huge intelligence and compassion at work, too, and at 89*, the artwork still pours out of him. Onto hospital walls and into exhibitions about “worrying times”.

The BBC is so good adept these author profiles. Here, pictures swirl around contributors including David Walliams, Peter Capaldi and Felicity Dahl, widow of Roald, who says of Blake, “The pencil contained magic”. And throughout all of his lovely friendly scratchings and daubings, he displays a keen eye for the outsider. As curator Olivia Ahmad puts it, “Appreciating difference is something his picture books do.” And for that he really should be cherished.

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rolenamePresenterQuentin BlakeDirectorPeter SweaseyExecutive producerArchie BaronEditorBruce Law

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